Hey you!!! Sorry I’ve let it be so long since you’ve heard from me.
It is an all squad month so all 39 of my friends and I are staying on a homestead where half of us sleep in our tents while the other half sleep in bunk beds. My friend Sydney described our living situation like this –
“Each morning we make our sack lunches for the day and eat our breakfast all scattered yet crammed up in our tiny living area. That coffee, yogurt and granola vibe in the air each morning has my heart feeling so full. There are people in the word as early as four AM before they go off to ministry for the day. I can’t help but feel like I’m on Cheaper by the Dozen at times and I’m absolutely in love with it. Yea, it might be impossible to find an empty space to be alone [unless you hide behind a sheep pin or something] but I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
Take a gander at what this month has looked like
Yesterday a van full of my friends and I went to a festival just a city over where the women covered their waists while the men took off their hats before entering into the presence of the king. I met a cool girl there named Bre who is a part of the Peace Core and has been educating herself on Swaziland culture since she was in 6th grade. She explained to me that the celebration is for married women which is an interesting concept seeing as polygamy is still a thing here. The king has 74 wives and each of them participated in a synchronized dance with handmade rattles wrapped around their ankles, making music with each unified step.
Holidays have become something special on the race. Whether you view Valentines day as a holiday or a day just like the one before, you have to admit, it’s nice to receive a little extra love for no good reason besides that you are loved by someone and they just had to remind you of that. This February 14th all 8 of our men gathered together to make us ladies a homey meal of mashed potatoes, chicken and corn! They even made our plates for us and hand delivered them WITH a hand-written letter from the guy that gave us our meal. My friend Shawn proudly placed my plate in front of me and handed me my letter of encouragement :’) His letter told me not to be afraid to step into the unknown because that’s where we see growth. What a guy, am I right? He also just so happens to remind me of my big brother, which is just sweet.
Today is the 17th which is a Sabbath day of rest and the 17th morning that Adria, Sydney and I have gotten up to watch the sunrise. We sip tea and coffee, read and discuss a Proverb and talk about dreams for our lives. All while hoping the sun will show himself through the thick morning clouds of Manzini.
There are a few rose bushes strategically placed in my path on the way to the kitchen that I religiously stop and smell. And four little puppies who just this week are able to fully open their eyes.
Tuesdays – Fridays we leave our homestead by 7:40 to catch an 8 am kombi and from there, two of my friends and I begin the 30-minute walk to our Preschool ministry.
From one Texan to another, that 30-minute walk is hotter than the asphalt in August at noon. Hotter than those split few seconds that you run to check the mail box and your neighbor yells at you for being bare footed. Hotter than your hair up in a pony tail, sun glasses on and you’re still squintin’. Hotter than the football bleachers scorching through your jean shorts and a blue Gatorade dripping down you neck during little league season.
Our ministry is only 4ish hours long but it’s pretty non-stop once we get there. One time on our way to the school we walked by both of our teachers, walking in the opposite direction. One was taking her son to the Dr. while the other was heading home to try and find the class room key. It was up to me and Ms. Morgan White to be the teachers for the day. Our kids are 4 years old and are experiencing their first ever days in school. I’ve learned that the only English they have ever heard has been filtered through a thick Siswati accent so in the classroom I don’t say “Listen to your teacher.” I say “Leesen to youur teacha!”. We read stories, sing the alphabet and go through the basic shapes. At the end of the day we find our selves playing outside in the sweetest fashion.
The thing is, in a one on one conversation, these kids usually don’t know what the hell I’m saying and vise versa. So, we do lots of handshakes, eskimo kisses, running around, and picking kids up. Whatever we can to communicate love because the harsh reality here is that a lot of these kids only have one meal a day, when they are sick there isn’t a school nurse and I haven’t seen them use hand soap once through out our month of ministry. Those kids and I hold a lot of differences. My hope for this brief time with them is that they felt a little extra loved and had a little extra fun. I hope they remember our sweet encounters and that somewhere along the lines they saw Jesus in me.
There is a bitter sweetness to this month that I would like to talk to you about, but not now, not yet. I’m trying to keep being here before my mind checks out because it knows that in a week, we’re out.
I love you all a whole lot and month 5 has definitely made me miss you a little more. But don’t you worry, I’m still as happy as a button! I’m just running around, being the Malys you all know to everyone that Jesus puts in front of me. Thanks for hangin along.
Ps- Mom and Dad I can’t wait to see you in Nicaragua!! Ah. I could just cry :’)
