It doesn’t feel real that I am in month 3 of the Race. I was just accepted for this life changing journey exactly a year ago. Already completing 2 months makes me feel like a real racer now. I understand the importance of flexibility, feedback, and fun. I can say that my life has been changed more than I’ve changed others. Our God is so big and has taken care of me in so many ways.
Last month I lived in Nsoko, Swaziland with my entire squad and leadership team. There was a total of 60 of us. We lived at an Adventures in Missions base. My team was blessed to get to stay in a building with bunk beds. My body really appreciated the comfort as I was real sore from only sitting on concrete and plastic chairs day in and day out. Similar situation to Lesotho where the water was okay to drink as long as we got it at base. Electricity was iffy, especially with the crazy winds that came through. It was definitely a shock when I saw everyone wanting to always charge their devices- because in Lesotho we weren’t able to since we only ran on solar power. But often times.. We would be mid- dinner or game and the lights would turn off and it was a guessing game when it turned back on. Sometimes it was just a few minutes other times it was an hour or two. The toilets were often clogged and not functioning so we walked to the long drop all the way across base. It was 237 steps from my bed. (Not fun when you have to go in the middle of the night). We did have 2 showers that worked but there was always caution that water would shut off halfway through and the temperature was always very cold. So it was taken at your own risk. And of course- no wifi. Hence no video or photos up yet. We had meals made for 60 people. Which meant many many dishes and not as much food.
The weather in Swaziland was never consistent. They are currently and have been in a drought for awhile. In 2015, it was the most severe draught in a century. Some days we hot and windy and others were cool and a tad chilly. With how dry it was and the strong winds, it creates a dust storm. Literally seeing dirt fly across in giant brown walls around the base created little desire to go outside. It was nearly impossible to stay clean. We prayed and prayed for rain and it actually rained three times while we were there. Praise the Lord. It not only kept the dirt down but provided water for locals to bath, drink, do laundry with, and for the crops to grow.
On to what Ministry looked like. My team was assigned to a local Carepoint. It was only about a 15 minute walk away. We arrived around 9:30am and spent the morning either helping the gogo’s (grandmothers) cook or playing with the preschoolers. Sometimes we had 10, other times there was 35. We played at the playground, we sang songs and danced, we just sat and let them play with our hair. A neat thing about the carepoints is that they use the food packets from Feed My Starving Children. It was such a sweet connection to think I have helped package meals and people at home made these meals for these adorable children. Most often than not, this is the only meal the kids get a day- so I thank you from the bottom of my heart for those who have volunteered there before and I encourage others to look into it if you haven’t before because it literally sustains their lives. They have locations all around the Twin Cities. Anyway, once the preschoolers ate and left, we would eat our lunch and then wait for the primary and secondary students (ages 6-14) to come to the Carepoint. In the afternoon, we had anywhere from 60-80 kids arrive. They would come to just hang out and eat and leave. Except for Tuesday’s and Thursday they are expected to attend a discipleship class before they could eat the meal. Afterwards we simply talked, read, and danced with the kids until 3:30 when we would have to head back to the base. We also did maintenance once a week around base. One day that looked like shoveling dirt away from the fence, picking crops in their garden that evening to eat for dinner, and another time it was pick axing a hole for sewage to go into.
With he help of supports back from my entire squad raised $600 to help host a soccer tournament. This ministry helps raise up soccer coaches to be a life coach as well for the players. Giving biblical perspectives in soccer terms and being a father like figure when many of them don’t have one. There was 8 carepoints that came to play. It was a beautiful, fun filled day of soccer. The money we raised helped to purchase some jerseys from them to wear during the game, a sandwich, orange, and a drink for lunch, as well as for referees. It drew in giant crowds when locals saw the tournament going on. We shared testimonies and the gospel to be sure people heard about the love of Jesus Christ and what He did for us.
Swaziland was a slow, but busy month. It was challenging to constantly be surrounded by other people, eating dirt whenever you walked outside, but God never failed us. I learned a lot about myself and my gifts. Be sure to check out my previous blog if you haven’t yet about my identity. I am thankful for my time there. And expect another post soon about what ministry looks like in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Until next time. Blessings friends and family!
