It's another ordinary day in the extraordinarily beautiful Swaziland. Or so I thought.
It's been 10 days living in Bwehleni, a small town 4 hours from Swaziland's capital city of Mbabane, and we have settled into a daily routine with no surprises. Or so I thought.
Get up by 7:30
Exercises & Quiet time by 8:30
Eat & wash up by 9:30
Dress and ready for ministry by 10
Visit patients and pray from 10:30 to 12
Teamtime from 12 to 1:30
Play with kids & feeding station at 2:30
Cook dinner at 5
Finish dinner by 7
In bed by 10
To through the routine off by a smidge, today was my day for hair washing so I took the time for a shampoo job in the kitchen sink. The ice water felt refreshing as I massaged my scalp with the Head n' Shoulders 2 in 1 combo. Afterwards I wrapped my hair into the blue quick dry towel and changed into my long ankle length skirt. Then took my hair out of the towel to be dried by the African sun.
I am ready for the hospital visit! "Lord let me see a miracle today." I prayed.
Sage, Michelle and I follow Primrose, our local contact, grounds-keeper of where we are staying and our translator as she walks toward the health center.
As per usual, we walk slowly to the care center and as we pass the hospital hallways, the benches are filled with outpatients and their relatives. Most Swazi's are friendly but shy yet it only takes a smile and a handshake to see their faces soften into smiles. They look at us with curiosity in their eyes and we greet their gazes with an attempt at saying "Sabona", (hello in Swati), and "Yebo" (I'm well).
As per usual, Primrose led us to the general ward, where the inpatients stayed, directly into a room where the children we always prayed for first stayed.
The first bed is a girl with an injured hand, it's wrapped up in bandages. She's looking better as her big eyes looked at the visitors, settling on me. Her grandma sits beside her, nodding as we came in. We make small talk with her through Primrose and ask how her grand-daughter is recovering.
At this point Primrose directs us to second bed, where Pepeli, a 4 year-old girl lies, "She doesn't look alive." says Primrose.
The three of us immediately come around the girl, who's eyes are half open, as if in a deep sleep. Her body lies very still. My hands automatically go to her face, it's still warm. Her nose and mouth. No sign of breathing. Sage's hands go to her hair, soft. Michelle touches her neck to feel a pulse. None.
We panic and start to pray in warrior style. Lord, please bring this girl back from death. Please grant her another lifeline. BECAUSE YOU ARE SAVIOR AND YOU CAN. We beg and plea, with tears trailing on our cheeks. Come Jesus come. As I pray I couldn't help but feeling her face again and again. The warmth of her skin gets colder with every touch. She had barely left us just half an hour before we arrived.
The three of us kept praying as life left her tiny body. I can almost sense her spirit rising up from her body, and flying over us. Looking at us from above. "Don't worry." I imagine her saying to us, "I am happy where I am going. There's no more sadness where I am going. I am going to be with Jesus."
Slowly we finish our prayers and said goodbye to her lifeless body and moved to prayed for the other kids in the room, a couple with Asthma and one with a severe burn on his head.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
In the next room, an elderly woman named Margaret was admitted earlier due to a heart attack and was diagnosed HIV positive. Beside her, her sister quietly sits and holds her hand, watching her breathe every breath with extreme difficulty. "She lives alone, smokes regularly and is hard of hearing." Her sister explains. "She's lonely and depressed."
As we prayed each word, Margaret's breath hardened. It's as if something is stuck in her throat or is deeply lodged inside her that she wants to vomit out. I wish I could help her. She sounded so miserable.
If God can hear our prayer, will He do something for her? If God can hear our cries, is He saving her? These are all my questions as I look at her struggle physically.
The God I know is a savior. He comes to our rescue in these times of desperation. He hears our cries of help. But the ways He answer are different than the ways we imagine He would answer, it's all in His own timing and according to His plan. I remember Pastor Mark Driscoll once said that the Father is both a good and a sovereign God. He is more concerned with saving her soul than saving her body. Because sooner or later, all our bodies will go to death and decay but our souls and spirits will live on to eternal death or eternal life.
Upon this Truth, my voice got louder and I started to pray for Margaret's salvation. "Lord, let her miraculously hear us pray, let her see you in her dreams and show yourself to her through visions. Let her know you and accept you into her life. Save her soul and take her to eternal life with you."
In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
God, this is one prayer, we hope you are going to answer.
*This month, we are ministering to the sick and dying by visiting and praying patients at the town's healthcare center, as well as manning a feeding station and doing groundskeeping work. Swaziland is a beautiful yet painful place to be because there're so much suffering, poverty, and sick and dying. Please pray for Swaziland, for health, provision, and hope for this land and it's people. Please also pray for our work, that we would wake up motivated and give life in our works and in our speech and steward the presence of God wherever we go.
