This month in Swaziland, now called eSwatini, our squad is all together living on a homestead in the outskirts of the main city Manzini. There is a family who lives on the property and there are a couple smaller homes we’ve been sharing. Most people are in their tents. It’s been a month of early mornings, sunny days and crammed living quarters. I know I will miss months like this though because I’ll look back on fun memories, even if at times I desperately want to find quiet space from all the conversations and craziness.
All of us are split into different ministries: agriculture, maintenance, house visits/care points, office work, Timbali crafts, and the preschool. To no surprise I am at a preschool working with students about 4-5 year olds. 🙂 A group of us take public transportation into town each day and another girl on my squad and I transfer to take another kumbe van to the preschool- about an hour trip each way. Going home we walk up a big hill to the unmarked stop and wait under the shade of the fruit stands on the road. Sometimes we see our students walking the same road home and they come up from behind and hold our hand.
My first day Ms. Mbali asked me to call up students to get their homework books. It was laughable as I tried to pronounce names, some names 12 letters long and sounds not in the English language.
School is just half a day. Our teacher speaks mostly in English to the kids. Every morning the students introduce themselves in front of the class. They sit at an assigned spot sharing a table with their peers. We collect their homework books and the dot out their names and the letters of the alphabet for them to practice handwriting. They sing songs and color with crayons- picking one color at a time from a collection of them in a box at the front of the room. The kids have a lot of energy and each have their own unique personality that stands out. There is no clock in the classroom. School start and end times seem flexible. Ms. Mbali makes the kids laugh. We correct their work as we go along in a workbook. They all eat outside together at break time. The kids LOVE to sing, dance and play games. I taught them how to start a congo line! On the other side of the playground which consists of a couple swings, a teeter-totter and tires, there is a cover area volunteers cook food for kids to bring home. They make a fire, mix in protein rich rice packets in huge caldrons and use a giant wooden spoon to stir. I helped them sort through beans for a meal later in the week, served with a corn based mash mixture called pop.
The experience in the classroom is similar, yet contrasting from what I know back home. And also, in so many ways these kids are no different from the kids I’ve taught the last 5 years. They love to play, and they need it. They are usually quick to forgive. They show love and trust readily. They hardly know me but they want a hug, a smile, or to chase me around the playground. This month has really shown me the many universal characteristics of children and I’m recognizing what true childlikeness looks like.
Awhile ago in college I heard a pastor speak about how our relationship with others reflects the kind of relationship we have with God. Honestly, I think I still have some walls up when it comes to friendships and relationships. I find when I’m around children those walls aren’t really there. My aha moment came from recognizing the more I approach God as his child, I’m more likely to own up to something I messed up on, more likely to show myself grace because as a child you’re figuring it out, and more likely to be free to express what I’m thinking without fear of judgement. In a childlike mindset things are simple. It’s easier to trust, easier to have faith and easier to be creative. I like what the message version in Luke 18: 15-17 says: “These children are the kingdom’s pride and joy. Mark this: Unless you accept God’s kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you’ll never get in.” When I think back to when I accepted Jesus, my heart was in a childlike posture. I realized I didn’t want to live a life of self-sufficiency, calling the shots and being the judge of what I thought was good or bad. That day I realized I needed help, and ultimately I knew I could either do life with or without God. The Bible is either all true or not for God to be who He says He is. And the truth is that we’ve messed up, gone our own way, but God still really, really loves us.
As I’ve lived in close community for 4 months I’ve noticed my walls up sometimes though I’m not intentionally trying to keep anyone out. As life gets more complicated, experiences of hurt can make you jaded, hesitant to trust and be vulnerable. But it doesn’t have to be that way. It’s not what God intended for us. That’s why we’re told to forgive, to choose joy and to carry his peace and presence wherever we go. Doing life God’s way frees us. We rest in knowing we’re not the judge and God is. And so my prayer this month is to walk in childlike simplicity and as I open myself up to God I pray I do the same with others around me.
Enjoy some photos from the kids in my classroom!
Love and peace,
