I’m sitting here in South Africa, after being in Swaziland for a month, reflecting on what the the Lord did in the last month of my life. It’s crazy to think month one of the race is complete. I only have 8 months left on this incredible journey. The days are slow, but the Lord is moving. The people here are joyful and kind. They love to sing and dance. And holy cow do they love to worship the Lord!
In Swaziland, I live in a house with my entire squad and in a bunk room of about 20 girls. We all share one bathroom and have cold showers (but we do have toilets praise Jesus!!!). We have no electricy or WiFi. Life is simple here. There aren’t distractions of who is posting what and who is saying what. Our sole purpose is to serve. 3 days a week we go to care points in Nsoko where kids go to play and be a kid. Many only have one parent, or are orphans. This ministry fills my heart with joy. I play with children for hours on end, my feet get clothed in dirt, I carry children until my arms are tired, and we serve meals to kids at the care point. Sometimes ministry looks like letting the kids braid my hair, or swinging kids in the air until I’m exhausted, sometimes it’s having the high schoolers laugh at me because I can’t dance. But ultimately, it’s loving people like Jesus loves, without conditions, without judging people by the color of their skin or what they’ve walked through in their past, but seeing them the way Jesus see’s them.
My squad lives in a very rural area. There are cows and chickens and goats running around all over the place, there are fields of sugarcane and there is only one store we can go to for snacks and toiletries. At night, the stars light up the sky. One night, we worshiped the Lord under His vast creation. He kept showing me that the God who put the stars in the sky knows us, He knows our hearts and He choose us to be in His kingdom, and I just think that’s so cool! It is so quiet, but so peaceful. The Lord is reminding me to slow down and find rest in Him. In America, life is very fast paced. We are always going from one thing to the next. He’s teaching me to be still and know that He is God.
Each morning, we have quiet time with the Lord. The Lord is taking me through Matthew and it is so cool to see what Jesus did. He hungout with the lowest of the low, He saw people for who they were not what the world defined them as, He healed people and raised the dead to life. He had conversations with people and ate with them and just loved on them. After Jesus was questioned by the Pharisees why he hungout with sinners and tax collectors, Jesus said “It is not the healthy that need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Matthew 9:10. I’m reminded of this on the days that it’s hard. On the days I want a hot shower, or want to call my family, or to get some Chick Fil A. But Jesus didn’t call us to be comfortable or complacent, He calls us to get up and leave the ninty nine to find the one who is lost, He calls us to give love to those who are the least deserving, He calls us to give grace because He so freely did those things for us.
I’m so happy I got to update you all on what is going on here! I miss you all so much and am praying everyday for my supporters back home. The immense amount of love and encouragement I have gotten warms my heart. Thank you all so much! Lots of love from Africa!
