Update! After about 80 straight hours of traveling later, we finally made it to Nsoko, Swaziland! My team is doing ministry at a care point which is a building where kids will come and play all day and they get fed. For most of those kids it is their only meal they receive that day. The kids are very young (like 4,5,6) but there are a couple older ones. Also around 2ish the middle schoolers will come and eat and then around 3ish the high schoolers will join. We leave at 4 so we don’t get much time with them. Although, the time I have gotten with the older kids I have loved and cherished. They danced for us a few days ago and they love getting to know who we are. Most all of the middle and high schoolers speak english well so creating a relationship is easier. I think it was the first time I have ever gotten asked the question, “Tell me all about who you are and your biggest dreams.” They are so eager to learn and want to truly know everything about who we are. Month one of ministry is over and we are debriefing (kind of like a celebration and time for rest). I started writing this in Swaziland but have finished it up in South Africa currently in a coffee shop at the mall! I never have wifi in Swaziland so that’s why your just now hearing from me! Sometimes we can get it if we go to this man’s house but that’s not always possible. Hopefully I get the chance to post more blogs before debrief is over!
Now that you have gotten a very short recap of what has been going on I’m going to talk about something that was the very first thing I noticed and something that I find the most beautiful about Swaziland and that is the people. Starting with the first Swazi people I encountered. It was when we got to leave our base and walked to the gas station/grocery store called Savemor! (That may not sound super fun but when it’s the only store within walking distance then it turns out to be the thing we look forward to on the weekends). A group of us decided to go last weekend and we could either take the cumbi (public van) or walk and my group decided to walk. On that hour and a half walk we saw so many people. Every single one of them were always so excited to see us. They always wanted to chat because most know at least a little english. When we would try to speak siswati every time without a doubt they would laugh because it sounds so bad but they loved the effort. Everytime we would walk past one of them we got a huge wave and a smile ear to ear followed by “Hello!” or “Sawabona!” Just the love they give to us is the most welcoming type of love I’ve ever experienced. And of course I love them right back. These people genuinely want to know us. Almost every person we encounter will ask our names. When in America have you ever been walking in the store and as you pass someone you say, “Hi, how are you?” Responded by, “good how are you?” Then, “Fine, what’s your name.” I can confirm that that has never happened to me in the states. It’s funny because they will talk to me in Siswati for as long as they can until I run out of phrases to say then they will start speaking English.
Church is the next place that I got the privilege to be with all the locals. They loved us so well and wanted to know each and every person. Swazi church is how I think church is supposed to be, where there is dancing and praising like no other. We were not called to just stand in church with our arms crossed and barely mouth the songs. God wants us to worship him in all our ways and one of those ways is dance. Our bodies naturally want to dance so the fact that we stand still in church is showing that it takes more energy to stand still than to move to the rhythm. During worship a woman grabbed my hand and pulled me in the aisle to dance with her and the children. I think a lot of times in America we forget why we praise Jesus or the only time we do is when were at church and even then sometimes for people it seems to be forced (speaking for myself). We praise Him because He made us, He gives us so much. He died for us knowing that we may never love Him back. That is true love. We are called to praise Him always no matter the circumstance. What we’ve been learning is that worship can come in many forms and one of those forms is dancing. Some of these swazi people may have “harder” lives than us but you wouldn’t be able to tell for a second by the way they praise the Lord. You may even think that we (Americans) have a more difficult life. When I’ve seen some of us praise it looks like we are sad. But worship is supposed to be fun and were supposed to sing loud and dance however we dance. Anyways that’s my outlook on how what the Lord and these precious people from Nsoko have been teaching me.
Psalm 149
1 Hallelujah! Sing to God a brand-new song, praise him in the company of all who love him. 2 Let all Israel celebrate their Sovereign Creator, Zion’s children exult in their King. 3 Let them praise his name in dance; strike up the band and make great music! 4 And why? Because God delights in his people, festoons plain folk with salvation garlands! 5 Let true lovers break out in praise, sing out from wherever they’re sitting, 6 Shout the high praises of God, brandish their swords in the wild sword-dance – 7 A portent of vengeance on the God-defying nations, a signal that punishment’s coming, 8 Their kings chained and hauled off to jail, their leaders behind bars for good, 9 The judgment on them carried out to the letter – and all who love God in the seat of honor! Hallelujah!
Fundraising!!! Thank you to everyone who is still supporting me. Your donations have not gone unnoticed (you know who you are). I am at $12,046 out of $16,600. I have to be fully funded by January! If you feel led to donate you can do that through this website! Because of the limited wifi I have in Nosoko I can’t really do much for fundraising except for trying to post blogs as often as I can! Thank you again to my supporters I am thankful for you.
I am going to put a song at the end of most of my blogs that represents the state I am in or even just my favorite song in whatever season I am in.
Dancing on the Moon by Isla Vista
Love you all,
K.C.
