Fact about Swaziland: quality wifi is sketchy and hard to come by. That is the main reason it has taken me so long to blog! Africa has been full of amazing a difficult experiences and it seems like my time here is flying by (we leave for Nicaragua in just 3 weeks). So I wanted to use this post to give a quick recap on what God had been doing and teaching me throughout Africa so far.
El Shaddai
Our first month of Africa was all squad (38 people) living at an orphanage on a mountain in the middle of nowhere. Me and my team stayed in a little tin and concrete cabin where the power sometimes went out for days and on most days there was a layer of fog surrounding us. I loved every second of it. I discovered that I truly do feel God through nature. Just outside my front door was a breathtaking view of the mountains surrounding us and a river in the valley below. On a clear night, you could see more stars than you thought possible and even the Milky Way! God was a constant presence and I felt him walking with me and growing me everyday. We were about two hours away from a small town that I almost never went to because I’d rather stay on the mountain and praise God for his creation.
The kids at the orphanage were absolute adorable. They partnered us up in a buddy system, and I found myself paired with a little 8 year old boy named Bandile. Now mind you, I have always loved kids but have never been to found out messy little boys with high energy levels. I had also been praying for patience diligently and figured this was God’s humorous way of answering my prayers. A few days in I realized just what I had gotten into- this boy was insane. He was straight up crazy. He ran around screaming and eating everything. No joke, he ate my hair and chewed the rubber on my shoes. Then we would ninja fight and I quickly discovered this 8 year old little boy had well defined muscles and was actually- to my embarrassment- stronger than me. I went to bed every night exhausted with ringing ears from his screaming and sore muscles from trying to keep up. However, I still always found there to be a smile on my face. There was something about the kid I couldn’t help but love. I soon found out Bandile’s story. Both his parents died when he was young and there was no one taking good care of him. He was starved (hence the need to try and eat everything) and worked to the bone every day (hence the super boy strength). It is also believed he had been through sexual abuse because of some of his behaviors. When he first came to El Shaddai years ago he was said to be In desperate need of attention. My heart broke for this sweet boy, and I only grew to love him more. We spent our days playing card games, lounging in a hammock (when I could get him to stay still), having sword fights with branches, playing tag, and going to chapel In the afternoons. In a short period of time, God transformed my heart. I didn’t even notice Bandile’s more challenging qualities; all I felt towards him was love and patience. He was a wild one and I want him to stay that way because he’s pretty awesome and can be a sweetheart. There were some instances where he would randomly come hold my hand, sit in my lap for a hug, our say “I love you”. Those moments would fill me with the deepest of joys. It was an incredible experience- seeing The Lord in a child.
Our squad left El Shaddai after a month and I honestly did not want to leave and was pretty upset about it, but I came to terms knowing that God was calling us somewhere else for the next two months of Africa. But I still miss best friend Bandile every day.
Manzini:
Shortly there after, our squad relocated to 3 different locations around the “big” city of Manzini. My team and two others are living at the AIM base. It’s still pretty crammed, but it’s been a great time growing closer to everyone. Manzini is very different than the mountains. A typical day at El Shaddai looked like 60 degrees and rainy, where as a typical day in Manzini looks like no clouds and well over 100. It’s a true African experience! We have several different ministry opportunities here that include hospital ministry, working with kids at carepoints, connecting with local churches, visiting a girls home that strives to keep girls in bad situations out of prostitution, and walking into town to pray for people and feed the homeless. I’ll admit, it has been very difficult at times. I’ve been struggling adjusting from living in the mountains where I felt God with me constantly, to living in the middle of a crowded city where there is little space or scenery. I’ve seen God move through prayer and have been encouraged by the faith of the girls living at the girls home; and I’m continuing to pray and persevere and that God would teach me things through this dry season.
Prayers for Swaziland:
-Although Swaziland is a Christian country, the Monarchy still practices polygamy and so does the upper class
-HIV/ Aids is a prominent issue in Swazi; the country has a higher mortality rate than birth rate because of it
-The school year has just began here in Swazi, and education is extremely important for the children to stay out of prostitution, drug dealing, and other illegal and dangerous activities
