Wow has this been a wild first month on the field. So much has happened since being in Swaziland, but now we get a chance to debrief it all at our month 1 debrief in South Africa. AIM has three debrief weeks for us throughout our 9 months out on the field where we get too stay in a nice hostel and have a week to rest or do whatever else we need to do. This week I have gotten to go on a safari, eat out, sleep in a bed, shop for stuff that I needed at a mall, but also I have gotten to unwrap everything that has happened in Swazi so far. Before I tell you a little more about that I will share what my living conditions and daily ministry looks like.
Where I am staying- I am staying at an AIM base in Nsoko, Swaziland that is still in the process of being built so me and the guys sleep in tents outside of the building. They were supposed to finish up our room while we were at debrief so I think we will have our own room when we get back, which is super sweet even though we have loved roughing it in the African bush this past month. There is no power or wifi, but there is toilets and cold showers that work well. The biggest surprise for me has been how amazing the food is, and how much we have been able to eat. Honestly couldn’t be much happier about our living situation.
What ministry looks like- On Monday nights the guys go to this missionaries house named Lao to do manual labor around his house and help him with anything he needs. We stay the night there and on Tuesday we go to prison ministry with him. This has been one of the coolest experiences for us because Lao has been in that prison for 6 years pouring into these prisoners and the joy that these prisoners have is mind-blowing and so obviously from the Lord. On wednesday-friday we go to our Care Point that feeds the Swazi kids that are in the community and we get to hangout, play, and teach the kids. I have never seen kids so happy in my life. It just shows how much of a lie it is that our happiness comes from material goods.
What the weekends look like- Saturdays are our off days so we either go to the one restaurant near us or we just hangout back at the base and relax. Sundays we go to the local church that starts at around 11 and ends at around 2. One thing I learned about Africa is that there is never a set time, which can be a struggle for me, but I am getting used to it! Church is a really cool experience and very different from church back home.
Debrief- I wish I could explain through this blog how much I have loved Swaziland and everything about this experience so far. My community is a huge answer to prayer and is honestly wayyyy better than I thought it would be, I have loved roughing it in tents in Africa with my boys, everyone is Swazi is so so nice, and ministry has been freaking sweet. I really couldn’t thank the Lord and all of my supporters enough! I also really don’t want people to think that this has been all fun and games either. This has been really tough and really uncomfortable, but that is just another reason why I have loved it so much.
I miss everybody from back home a ton already, but the Lord has really helped me stay present and thankful for this opportunity. I am sorry that I haven’t been posting as many blogs as I said I would also. I will be posting a team blog and some good stories very soon and will really try to post more often! I recommend looking at my teams blogs too because they have some good stuff! Love all of you so much!!
