Team S’more has finally made it to southern Africa! It’s so hard to believe that we are already at the halfway point of our journey. We left Israel and drove by bus to Cairo, Eqypt. There we spent two days seeing some of the sites and trying to rest up before making the flight from Cairo to Johannesburg, South Africa. Once we landed there we were greeted by our bus drivers who brought us to Nsoko, Swaziland…about a 6 hour drive from Jo-burg.
Swaziland is nothing like I expected…for some reason I had this idea that the country was going to be very hot and very dry, but actually the temperature has been moderately warm with cool air at night, and the land is green with beautiful mountains and hills surrounding us!
As soon as we arrived, we were greeted by tons of kids and some local ‘Gogo’s’–those are the elderly women/grandmothers who take care of the orphan children in the community. Most of these children do not have parents due to AIDS/HIV, therefore the only ones left to care for the children are the Gogo’s and volunteers. I recently read a sign that was posted at the local grocery store about 20 minutes from where we are staying…the sign read, “There are two kinds of people in Swaziland, those that have AIDS or those affected by AIDS.”
I want these kids to know that there is a God that loves them and that cares about them. When everything around them may seem hopeless and devestating, I want them to know there is a real hope….that Jesus Christ died on the cross for their sins to redeem them and to bring them into an everlasting relationship with Him!
“I have a dream that when God remembers Swaziland, there will be spiritual freedom. This spiritual freedom will manifest in the physical. There will be no more hungry children on the streets, prostitution for food will stop, HIV/AIDS will be overcome and people will live long and see their children’s children.” —Pastor Gift
Me with some of the children from one of the nine carepoints in Nsoko
Our main ministry is administring VBS type progams at the various Carepoints. Carepoints are where the orphan children come to eat meals prepared for them by the Gogo’s. This meal usually consists of rice or ugali. Unfortunately this may be the only meal these children eat in a day.
Children listening to us tell a bible story… today they are learning about Jesus calming the storm! Yes, God is bigger than the winds and the waves, kids!
Me and Toban…I met him at one of our carepoints. He had a horrible ear infection…we brought him to the medical clinic for treatment and then treated him to a Coke!
Here is a video to learn more about the Nsoko Project here in Nsoko, Swaziland:
