I could sit here for hours.
I’ve never seen anything like the breathtaking view from atop this mountain at El Shaddai Children’s Home. The orphanage sits on a peak among many in Mbabane, Swaziland, but the outer beauty of this country is quite deceptive. Underneath the charming mask of a beautiful landscape lies a horrifying story of corruption and perversion.
Voodoo, witchcraft, and unethical cultural traditions have held firm ground here. In the eyes of a Swazi, women are property bought for marriage with cows. When a Swazi man finds the woman he wants, he invites her over to his hut to spend the night. If she goes, she will be married that night. He then strips her, pulls her out to the cattle crawl, and the women of his family verbally abuse her until she falls to her knees in tears. Once she does, she is owned. The family then meets with the woman’s family to discuss her price.
A law was recently passed that men cannot sexually abuse their spouse. This caused an uproar among many of the men here who believe that sexual abuse is the only way to keep their women in line. If a woman is showing too much skin, she is asking to be sexually abused and the law sides against her. It is a way of life here- “don’t ask, don’t tell”. Consequently, 1/4 of the population is infected with HIV. The life expectancy is 32 years old.
Child abuse is also very prevalent- “spare the rod, spoil the child.” Physical, sexual, verbal, and emotional abuse are the stories of the children here at the orphanage. You can see it in their eyes, their mannerisms, and in the way they carry themselves.
So as I listen to the stories of these precious and valuable young children…
… the homeless girl found feeding her baby brother dog feces to keep him alive,
…the boy with the scar across his neck from where his mom slit his throat,
…the two brothers hanging by their feet from a tree, naked and sodomized,
I am broken. But I am not without hope for them.
Because there IS hope. Light shines the brightest in the darkest of places, and wherever there is light, darkness must flee. These children are being pursued strongly by their Savior. He took them from the streets and placed them on this city on a hill where the light is shining in their own darkest places. But the healing doesn’t stop with a place of shelter, a hot meal, and a bath. This is just the start for them. The Lord promises to make all things new for these children and to right every wrong that has been done to them.
Until this happens, we have the opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus for these kids. With 40 racers and 40 children, we were each assigned one child for the month. We pray for our child, help with homework, talk about life, and love them well while we are here. We are also advocating for our children to be sponsored.
If your heart is beating quickly right now at the opportunity to provide a better life for a Swazi child, please message me for sponsorship details. Please also join me as I pray for the adoption of this precious child into a real family.
