I don’t know what to expect when I set foot in Swaziland. Some things will be the same, some faces will be the same, but I am trying to go in with very few expectations as I know a country in crisis can change rapidly. Everyone who has survived AIDS and starvation and tuberculosis and any number of other things, will be around three years older than last time I saw them. I pray I see some familiar faces, people who have beat the odds and are still alive and joyful.
Here is one face I am hoping to see. Her name is Thobile, and she has inexplicable JOY. At 15-years-old she was the head of her household, taking care of her younger siblings, and had a strong faith and love in Jesus.
I distinctly remember the last day I saw her. She came by the homestead I was living at, bucket in hand, on her way to church to use the running water to get clean before it started. She gave me a big hug and then became suddenly serious. “I will miss you so much. When will you come back and see me?” It ripped my heart out. I didn’t know. I told her it is very hard and expensive to visit. But ultimately I told her, “God told me to come to Swaziland, and now He is telling me to leave, and I have to listen to Him. Maybe He’ll bring me back here again, you can pray and ask Him to.”
Maybe she has. He was very specific about Swaziland.
I am still in need of $991 for my plane ticket. Thank you for being the answer to prayers!
