as you probably know, my team’s ministry is feeding and playing with kids at Joyella care point. there are some things about swaziland culture i want to share with you, so you can be praying for the children here.
every 5 years there is a big election for a position in the government, and every election season many children all over the country go missing. in Swazi, most people believe that their witch doctors can please the spirits by performing sacrifices, so they can win favor in the election. children walking alone on the street are the easiest targets. the safest place for the kids to be, is at the care points: the gogos (grandmothers) are very protective and won’t let anything happen to a child.
needless to say, the kids here go through a lot of stress and worry many of us will never experience. they don’t have much to eat at home, so they come to Joyella to get food. they may get abused at home. they probably don’t know when their birthday is because their parents couldn’t afford a hospital to get a birth certificate. some can’t go to school because even that is too expensive. this is why team Abundance and me, we all take our time at the care point very seriously. we want to pour all the love we can possibly give into every child.
after the whole rant, i want you to know how we are the ones being blessed by the Lord by being here in swaziland. this culture of family unity is precious, the people are beautiful and kind, and we are surrounded by gorgeous mountains and clear skies. the Lord touches our hearts every day, by the people we meet and the tasks we do. i am so honored and thankful to be here. now back the kiddos….
since the mentality of every child is to self-preserve, they don’t take to discipline very well. one day, all the little boys were playing this kicking game. they’d pick one kid, beat him up, then he’d get off the ground and join the group to get another kid. i ran up to two of the boys i knew could speak good english, and asked them first what they were doing and second, to stop this game. they told me they were playing, and that it is fun. i told them, “when someone hits you, you shouldn’t hit them back. you turn the other cheek, say i forgive you, and walk away.” they stood there with there’s mouths open a second. after that second he said, “wait. if i hit you, you wouldn’t hit me back?” i said “nope i would forgive you.” this turned into a talk about forgiveness, why it’s important, and what the Bible says about it. the whole time, I was praying so hard that the Lord would connect the dots and translate in their heads because my english was not cutting it. i pray i planted a seed of forgiveness and gentleness in their hearts. they are the sweetest most beautiful kids i have ever seen. i want the best for them, and i know even when i leave they are in the Lord’s hands.
after this conversation, i started telling them more about Jesus’s love for them. i motioned them to sit with me on the dirt ground. i found a stick and started drawing a picture in the ground. i stick figure drew Jesus with His arm around a little boy, and drew a line connected Jesus’s ear to the little boy’s mouth. at this point, i was surrounded by children on all sides, and every word i said, one of the older boys would translate to the smaller children. i told them that Jesus wants to be their friend, so they can talk to Him like one. I told them, they could tell Him anything at any time of the day. He wants to listen to them because He loves them so much. When I told them to practice, they started saying the Lord’s prayer in broken english! I stopped them, and told them to tell Jesus what we were doing right now in saswati, their language. looking a little confused, they closed their eyes and prayed. i asked one what he said, and he told me “i told Jesus that I’m here at Joyella playing with my friends.” I told him that was a great prayer!
when we first got to swaziland, it was really hard for me to stay energized and excited to be at the care point for 5 hours a day. i was exhausted and didn’t see the point in just playing with kids. after that day with those boys, i did. many kids can’t speak english, but when they sit on my lap, i hug them, and have them repeat after me. Jesus love me. Jesus thinks I’m beautiful. Jesus has a plan for me. I pray one day they’ll understand and believe so strongly, that they’ll impact their village, their city, and then their country. I pray over every kid and the area blessing it, just as it’s blessed me.
i believe the Lord is moving in Swaziland. i am thankful and honored to be here for such a time as this.
Please keep the kids in your prayers, pray for safety, and good food, pray against alcoholism and abuse, and know that Jesus has already won the victory!
