Okay, okay! So, all of that is true but I know this zebra thing sounds suspicious. The whole truth is that I live in Swaziland, “the Switzerland of Africa.” I even have a Swazi name; Nothando, meaning “a lovely girl.â€� Me plus six teammates plus our contact plus a dog named Hoover. And, I know this is unbelievable, but our home is located in the middle of a Country Resort Game Reserve. Let me tell you, it is nice and private! (Two things I love.) The birthday dinner was held at the Country Club that is just down the road from our house. They have two pools, tennis courts, squash courts, and cable t.v. (something I haven’t had in a really long time). Basically, it’s a place for US millionaires to come play golf. They just have to hit the ball around wild zebra, giraffe, impala, and wildebeest! Needless to say, I am very blessed. A typical work day for me looks a little different than all this fancy living, though. Once I leave these grounds, I encounter a completely different culture and people.
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My team on the way to ministry!
Our lovely contact, Corine, and her “spoiled” dog Hoover! He is half impala, half human.
Ministry looks a little different every day, especially for Corine. She runs a non-profit organization called Hope Rises. It works to help abused and abandoned children get sponsors from the United States. This sponsorship is $35 and it looks like a good meal, clothes, and free education for preschoolers. Honestly, it’s one thing to hear about child sponsorship but it’s another to see it played out by someone who is reliable and truly cares to see the lives of the children in good hands. Corine doesn’t consider herself a missionary because much of her work is humanitarian work like helping children to be fed, taking a child with worms or a dying lady to the doctor, and building pre-schools. Yet, she serves the Lord with all her heart and invests the love of Christ into every teacher, child, and person she meets along the way. She even says that this life isn’t her dream. The pre-school isn’t her plan. It’s God’s plan. She gave up her life of luxury in the States to live in Swaziland as a single lady, living with less, and changing the world. She is much more than a missionary. I witness that it’s a difficult life to live. She has to deal with a culture that is completely backward from America in every aspect imaginable. For example, polygamy is legal and even encouraged. It’s attractive for women to be fat, rather than skinny. And those just touch the surface. I’ll just say that had I grown up in this country, and had not already experienced the “American Dream,” I’d probably not believe it exists. This is a place where forty-five preschoolers sit on the floor in absolute silence until a large plate of corn meal and chicken is devoured, even the bones! Preschoolers in silence! Cleaning their plates without having to be told, yelled at, and disciplined! If you have a toddler, you know just how unimaginable that is…..
We made paper airplanes together. The kids went ballistic! The excitement was like Christmas morning!
I take part in bible stories, crafts, games, and songs with the children. I get to re-live pre-school, where acting silly is greatly accepted. My team is also working to get profiles made for new students and even the teachers in order to get them sponsorship. We are also currently working on a blog site for Corine so she can better relay her life in ministry to friends, family, and sponsors back at home. Honestly, we do very little for her in comparison to her hospitality shown to us. We are so very grateful.
Even though Swaziland leads Africa’s in HIV and the culture seems to be irreversible, I know that God’s hand is all over this country. It’s like He never sleeps. He hasn’t over-looked this small, yet beautiful country. He sees the hurt and abuse. He also calls all Christians to go into the nations and make disciples. I’ve realized that sometimes making disciples looks a little bit different than I expected before coming on the World Race. “There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are difference of ministries but the same Lord, And there are diversities of activities, but is the same God who works all in all.”- 1 Corinthians 12: 4-6
Sometimes it looks like building a paper airplane.
