I wanted this blog to be a three part post, but because of the limited access of internet I decided to post it all as one, mostly because I am already in Romania. So here is just a hint of what I saw in Swaziland…
The first day of ministry, as we were adjusting to life for the next three weeks in yet another new country, Pastor Gift decided to take us out to a home visit. As we walked down the road to a house in the middle of an open field, I remembered our home visits in Malawi. There was a lot of activity; dancing, singing, washing of dishes, cooking and children playing. That was my expectation for this day. Both Indelible and Spectacle was told to go inside this tiny hut and sit on the floor wherever there was room. I saw right away that this would be quite different than before. Two women left the hut to give us enough space to crowd around Manswane, who was lying on a mattress. Our ministry for the day was to pray for her. We learned that this woman was 19 years old and dieing of HIV/AIDS. She had been raped by her uncle and possibly her brother as well. She had been living with the disease for about 4 years and she was close to death. Because of the degenerating immune system a skin disease had taken over her body. The disease left her in pain at all times. Her skin was cracked and crusty and every time she moved her skin would break and she would bleed. She could do nothing except to lay there and die. The only hope she has is that someone learned of her condition and shared Christ with her. She accepted and now looks forward to spending eternity with Christ. The sad thing is that she could spend up to another year just waiting to die. The day was shocking and a good picture of what the country lives with constantly. After praying for her and her family we walked home sobered.
Anna and Darci ended up visiting Manswane every day and showing her that there is someone out there that cares and wants to spend time with her, even if they can’t speak her language. The rest of the team was split up in twos and we were sent to visit others who had HIV/AIDS or just needed a helping hand because of age or sickness. I was paired with Hanna and we visited a lady named Nonhlahla (don’t try to pronounce it, it’s even hard for me!). She is a 32 year old woman who is not married. She has a 5 year old son who lives with her brother. He has a better opportunity for education living with him, but she misses him very much. She has been living with HIV/AIDS for the past year, but that is not what keeps her immobile. About a month ago she fell off of a tractor and hit her spine in just the right way to paralyze her right arm and leave the rest of the right side of her body severly damaged. She can not do most daily tasks without the help of others. She sits around most of the day and does nothing. It was akward at first to go and sit with her without having anything to do, but by the end of the week you could see the joy in her face when we would come. We were able to help clean her yard, but she had help with the other daily tasks. She lives right next to her sister, who also has HIV/AIDS, along with her husband. Her sisters name is Montambi and she has an older daughter in her twenties and a daughter who is 10 years old. The oldest daughter has a son who lives with her who is 2 years old. Cathy and Noah were doing home visits with her, and since we were so close we ended up joining together. I had so much fun playing with the kids. So much fun, in fact, that Montambi thought that I should marry her grandson! Don’t worry about that 27 year age difference! She is trying to protect him and take of him the best she knows how. The time we spent with the sisters was amazing. We were able to give them lunch (PBJ and oranges) and read the Bible to them and to pray for them. It was incredible just to be with them for the few short hours we had with them. We could see, though, that Montambi was getting worse and worse by the day.
The last night of our time in Swaziland we were having a Fiesta. A Mexican themed party celebrating the pastor, translators and all those we were closest to in ministry. As the night was getting more sentimental, Pastor Gift stood up to share. What he shared brought us back to reality in all of the fun. He told us that he found out that Montambi had died. She was a Christian and now had her new body in heaven. He shared that we should take comfort in knowing that in the last moments of her life we were there and had shown her that we cared about her, that her life mattered. I am excited that she is with God, but I mourn for the loss. The loss of a new friend. I weep at knowing that Nonhlahla and the children are now without her. I pray that God will be who they turn to for comfort and provision. I pray that they hold on to the hope that only Christ can provide!
Thank you for all of your prayers while we were in Swaziland. Please continue to pray for these people! They are in desperate need for God. They have no other possible way to survive apart from him!
