Swaziland

The past three weeks have been such a blessing. Here’s a quick recap of everything we’ve did during our September in Swaziland – 

 

This month was what the World Race calls “All-Squad Month” meaning that all 56 World Racers on J-Squad, along with our three squad leaders and squad mentor spent the month together in ministry. To be honest, going into this month I was a little worried. At debrief (our time in Durban, South Africa between month one and two), the Lord worked through some things in my heart in regards to being confident and true to myself in a group. After beginning to uncover my false-self, my initial thoughts towards this time was “How do I stay true to who God created me to be?”. The Lord has used this month to not only dispel this fear, but to call me into deeper intimacy with Him. 

 

This past month has also been a time for the squad to pour into each other through our leaders giving teachings on discerning God’s voice, spiritual gifts, baptism of the Holy Spirit and more; A women’s retreat where we dove into pursuing a deeper relationship with God; And one-on-one time with people outside of my teammates. Before the Race I thought I was prepared for community, but I can honestly say I’ve never experienced community quite like this. 

 

In addition to our time at our base at the Care Point Center (Anchor Center) in Nsoko, Swaziland each team was assigned a Care Point to support three days a week. My team was placed in Joyela (about a 15 minute drive). This Care Point is one of the smaller centers, so where others have a playground along with their classroom and cooking structure, ours was just the classroom and cooking structure. I have never seen more creativity than with these kids! In the morning, the kids who weren’t in school would come to “pre-school”. Imagine 2-5 year olds walking by themselves, sometimes miles, to come to play and eat each day. These sweet kids learned songs, danced and played like nobody’s business and and were so loving! If we were ever sitting on the ground, you could guarantee a child would be in our lap. As for that creativity, we would create a soccer game by using tires for our goals and making a ball out of grocery bags and dirt. We managed to also play baseball with a dirt ball and a broom stick.

 

Outside of play, we were able to help the Go-Go’s (grandmothers who are in charge at the Care Points) with making the meal and serving it to the children. It was mostly rice and beans cooked over an open flame in what we keep referring to as a cauldron (for lack of a better term). Each child that came to the Care Point received one large serving a day. When the older kids would meet after school, they’d have discipleship twice a week and were practicing for a choir competition in November. These kids have voices like angels! 

 

I am constantly in awe at the joy God keeps placing before me. No shoes and no toys, and yet smiles are everywhere to be seen! We spent a few days a week with these kids, and yet in that short time they taught me more about value and love than any other experience. 

 

This was a ministry we were able to put on thanks to support from various donors. As a squad, we raised $600 so that over the course of two weekends, we could host a soccer tournament for 10 different Care Points. Each care point had their own team and played 4 games over one weekend, each game lasting 40 minutes. Our team had mostly 9-10 year olds in comparison to some of the other Care Points who had 13+ so the refs allowed for me and another Racer to step in and play. If you would have been able to be there, you would have witnessed me in a maxi skirt and Chacos running up and down the field chasing the ball and doing my best to not use my hands. Needless to say, I was only needed for one half. 

 

It was great to see the kids play with such passion and energy! Although a long day, it was a beautiful way to get the kids together in community and an opportunity to share the Gospel through coaching thanks to the training from Sports for Christ. 

 

I couldn’t resist sharing a little bit about our living conditions mostly because I had way too many “What-Would-My-Mother-Think” moments. Team Gentle But Fierce (my team) ended up tenting on a sandy area just outside of the main building that we operated out of. I actually loved sleeping in my tent and was grateful that it held up in the dust and rain storms. As for plumbing, within our first week, we managed to clog up the pipes (2 indoor toilets) and so the whole squad ended up using 2 “toilets” 50 yards from the building. These gems were appropriately named “long drops”. My fear of bugs was amplified when we were told about the poisonous scorpions and snakes that like to roam the area, so you would never find me walking to the bathroom after dark without a headlamp and a buddy. 

 

Despite the living conditions, this month was a wonderful journey. From week one and wondering how on earth I would hold up showering only a few times a week to our last week thinking, “Dang, that wasn’t so bad!” It was eye opening on minimalism and community. 

 

-We saw 14 giraffes in the wild (12 while we were at Niesala, the restaurant with wifi, and two on our drive out of Swaziland). 

-Getting to know my squad a little better and learning from our awesome squad leaders and mentor. 

-I got to go on my first safari while in Swazi and we were able to get up close and personal with a herd of rhinos (literally walked through the tall grass to where they were napping!) 

-Learning about Sports for Christ and seeing their ministry in action through the soccer tournament. 

-Loving on the beautiful kids at our Care Point. 

-The sunsets and stars were AWE-mazing. 

-I was baptized in the Swazi rain (blog post on that coming soon!).

 

To end my “This is Swaziland” story, I’d love to ask for prayer requests! This country was a beautiful host this past month, but they are in need of prayer. Please pray for rain – The country is in the worst drought that they’ve had in a century. For a country known for it’s lush green beauty, we’ve really only seen red dirt outside of the sugar cane fields. Additionally, please pray for the fatherless. There are a lot of things that attribute to fatherlessness, but the crisis is in how it affects the children. Pray that the children of Swaziland may come to know their Heavenly Father and find mentors and love from men who have found their identity in Christ. 

 

Thank you for your continued prayers and support. 

 

Much love to you all, 

Morgan