Swaziland is absolutely nothing like I
was expecting it to be… (or at least where we are in Manzini). Seriously… when you think of Africa, I am
pretty sure you are not picturing what we are experiencing. Currently, I am sitting in a pile of
particularly comfy bean bag chairs in the living area of a three bedroom, one
bath, gated home with a full kitchen, electricity, a bathroom, shower, and
running water that we have all to ourselves.
So what was I expecting? A mud
huts with a grass roof, camping outside, a hole in the ground for a toilet,
showers in a river, and giant bugs.
Okay, so the giant bugs thing is actually true. Those things are HUGE! I’m talkin’ like… ants the size of beetles, grasshoppers
as big as lizards and the lizards are like miniature alligators. Seriously… BIG
BUGS. But anyways, its no surprise to me
that we are experiencing everything excluding what I expected. God is continuously teaching me to let go of
my own ideals, beliefs, and expectations to allow for him to move and stretch
my mind in ways I never thought were possible.
So we are definitely living nicely this month, but that
isn’t to say that things aren’t hard here in Swazi. 40% of the population has AIDS, most of which don’t even know
they suffer from it because living with the stigma of the truth is far worse
than the fear of the unknown. The
current average life expectancy in Swaziland is approximately thirty-five years
old. In the last five-ish years, the
population has dropped from 1.3 million to approximately 900,000 as a result of
AIDS and other diseases. The population
mostly consists of children and older adults (40+) because much of the middle
generation has died from AIDS. As a
result, there are many grandmothers (known as “GoGos in Swazi) that take care
of multiple children, most of which aren’t even related to them. These women amaze me.
This month in Swaziland we have the privilege to work with
Adventures in Missions (AIM). Until last
month, I didn’t even know that AIM had an actual headquarters here. They have twenty-five stations all over Swazi
called Care Points where children from all over come and receive love, care and
a hot meal. Each Care Point has a GoGo
that cooks for the children, and many also have a school program and bible club
on Wednesdays and Fridays. Most of our
time this month so far has been spent working at these Care Points assisting
the GoGos and playing with the children.
Our team spent the first week doing a few different
ministries. We sorted through containers
of clothing and shoes to prepare them to be handed out at one of the local Care
Points. We had a lot of fun doing it,
but it also broke our hearts to see the kinds of things that Americans send to
Africa. Seriously…used underwear and
socks, holes in pants and ripped T-shirts? Just because people
are poor here, does not mean they deserve our trash. Approximately half of the clothing we sorted
through went to the dump. It was a sad
reality for me to face that the clothes we were bringing to the dump would be
taken and worn within a few hours. At
all times during the day, there are adults and children alike sorting through
the trash in search of food and clothes.
It is absolutely heartbreaking.
It has been really eye opening being on this side of the entire
“donation” processes, especially being able to hand out the clothing. On Thursday of last week we brought all the
clothing to a Care Point, where the children and youth lined up and received
one outfit, a pair of NEW socks and underwear, and a nice pair of shoes. Some of these children had never had a pair
of shoes before in their lives. I have
at least ten pairs at home, most of which I never wear. As I mentioned, it is completely different
being on this side of things. The reality
of knowing the truth becomes a staple in your heart that can never be removed. Its one thing to read about children that
have never had a pair of shoes, its another to actually meet them, stare into
their beautiful black eyes and see the joy that comes as a result of receiving
such a small, yet essential gift. We
live under a blanket of blessings in America, and most of us don’t even realize
just how blessed we truly are.
We Are Blessed.
