Swazi Stories - Explore Archived World Race Alumni Blogs

Our month at El Shaddai was amazing…. We helped expand the garden, we worked in the baby house, and we tutored students after school every day. Here are a few short stories from our time in Swaziland that will hopefully give you an idea of what we experienced.

Buddy Time:
El Shaddai is a children's home on the top of a mountain where they house and school over 80 kids. Many world race squads have partnered with them in the past, and they have recently started pairing racers with kids for the month to allow for more focused tutoring and attention. I wasn't sure how I felt about "choosing" a kid to be my buddy, but I ended up being partnered with the sweetest little 6-year-old named Nokuphila (pronounced No-gu-pi-la.) She remained quiet and shy with me for almost the whole month, but from day one she always made sure my arms were wrapped around her tiny body. Her little fingers always seemed to find mine and she was constantly leaving her chair to sit in my lap. Although she didn't say much with her words, her actions showed me that she craved love and attention and that she wanted it from me, which filled my heart with so much joy. I really enjoyed watching our relationship progress over the course of the month, and I am excited for how God is going to use her in the future.

Windstorms and Wild Fires:
I live in hurricane central in the States, but I've never experienced winds like I did in Swaziland. A handful of times we had windstorms that left us wondering whether or not our roof would blow off. And due to the dryness of winter, wildfires were a major problem. You pair a wildfire with a windstorm and you get 30 girls standing outside at 9pm with their cameras and their voices lifting high to the heavens praying for God to calm the chaos. Thankfully the wind stopped shortly thereafter and the fires remained under control. Definitely a night I will never forget.

Piglets:
I have wanted a pet pig for as long as I can remember. I have even collected little pig figurines since I was very young. So when I found out a pig on the farm had babies I was over the moon. Momma pig had 7 piglets, but unfortunately two of them were struggling to survive, so a squadmate and I bottle-fed those two and nursed them back to health. One ended up passing away the next day but the other six were healthy and strong by the time we left. Newborn piglets = happy Lindsey.

Church Snuggles:
I have always heard awesome stories about how African church services are like none other, with hours upon hours of music and dancing and casting out demons and all kinds of cool stuff. My experience at church in Swaziland was nothing like the stories I had heard, but it was special nonetheless. One of my favorite memories from church was when my buddy, Nokuphila, sought me out, sat beside me, and proceeded to lean over and fall asleep on me. This was our third day together and it definitely confirmed for me that we were meant to become friends last month. I love watching God show up in small moments like these.

Chugga Chugga Choo Choo:
Part of our ministry last month was helping with the preschool. This was a major part of my focus and where I spent most of my time at El Shaddai. Our role was to empower the two local teachers and to help create curriculum for them to use in the future. We quickly learned that the more time we spent in the classroom, the more the teachers would check out. For whatever reason, our intentions to empower them were having the opposite effect. After speaking with Katie, a peace corps volunteer at El Shaddai, we decided to spend less time in the classrooms and more time helping the kids during transition times (to and from potty breaks / to and from lunch). Thus the conception of the Choo Choo train. We spent the month implementing Katie's train idea with the goal of making transition times more efficient. The school had just moved and the children still had to walk back and forth between locations for bathroom breaks and lunch times. The Choo Choo train quickly became a sight to witness, seeing as how we had nearly 50 children holding onto a rope, pushing and pulling, hitting each other with sticks, and throwing corn stalks at passers by. But I'm happy to report that by the end of the month, the teachers were leading the train and the children stopped the majority of their misbehavior. I will never be able to hear of another Choo Choo train without thinking of my little Swazi passengers.

Movie Date for 88:
Well, 83 to be exact. A few squadmates came up with the idea to take our buddies down the mountain to the movie theatre. They set up a paypal account to raise the funds for transporting all of us to the movies and back, and the results were nothing short of amazing. Donations poured in immediately and within 24 hours we had received all we needed to pull off the event and more! The day came to take our buddies to the movies and it was something I'll never forget. All the kids had dressed in their nicest outfits, and were so excited to ride on a bus. Something we as racers have come to find very normal if not even slightly annoying, these kids were beyond thrilled to ride in a bus down the mountain. We arrived a bit early and took the kids to the grocery store where they were allowed to spend 20 rand ($2). Some kids picked candy and chips, while others picked toy trucks. After they proudly paid the cashier for their items we headed to the movies. They received popcorn, candy, and a drink, and we all watched Rio 2. I remember before we went I had asked Nokuphila if she had ever been to the movie theatre and she said "I don't know." It's amazing to me how something so normal in America was such a special treat for them. Many kids fell asleep on the ride back due to sensory overload. It was definitely something I'll never forget, and I don't think I'll ever take a trip to the movies for granted again.

Elvis is Alive:
One day Tenille needed to go into town to see the doctor and I was her lucky buddy. Of course I wanted to go so I could be a source of comfort and support for her, but what a bonus it was to be in town and have a freshly brewed cup (or four) of coffee and a few hours of Internet! Our contact set us up with an employee there named Elphis (nicknamed Elvis) who gave us a ride to and from the doctor as he ran errands for the day.

Elvis is a tall, slender, black man with a quiet but sweet demeanor. His playlist switched back and forth between African music and Hillsong, and as the day progressed, so did our conversation. One part of our chat really stuck out to me:

Elvis: Can I ask you a question?

Me: Sure.

Elvis: In the US, when a man wants to marry a woman, how much does he have to pay for her?

Me: Umm nothing.

Elvis: Oh.

*silence*

Me: Sometimes he will buy her an engagement ring and sometimes he will ask the father for permission but he doesn't have to pay for her. If they want to get married they just get married. What is it like in Swaziland?

Elvis: The man needs to pay the woman's family. The payment is in the form of cows.

Me: How many cows did you have to pay for Tengatile (his wife)?

Elvis: Her family said 15.

Me: Is that a lot?

Elvis: I don't think so because I love her.

While I was busy processing how women are still bought as though they are property, I was so touched by his sweet response at the end. His culture may require paying for a wife, but he views it as an act of true love. What a sweet man he is and what a precious family they have. I worked with his wife in the preschool and I met his two beautiful children. Their family is a rarity in their community as most men have multiple wives. Please pray that Elvis would continue down the path God has laid out for him and that he would disciple the men in his community to become men who respect women and raise healthy families. His dream is to one day be able to afford a house for his family because they are currently living in his late father's house. Please join me in praying for this dream of theirs to come true.

I learned a lot on that beautiful mountaintop in Swaziland. God used the physical rock I would sit on every morning to teach me about how he is my rock, now and forever. My team openly and honestly confessed some of our biggest dreams and we prayed circles around them. I was challenged in our 14-hour work days but fulfilled at the same time. And I was heartbroken to say goodbye to the kids I had connected so deeply with. Thank you for being so good to me, Swaziland!