Sanibonani! Hello from Swaziland, everyone! It has been over 3 weeks since I have written ya’ll, for that I am sorry. We have our most limited internet access on the race this month here in Swazi, so please bear with me as I catch ya’ll up on my latest happenings on the race! J
At the end of October we made the 3 day journey from Phenom Phen, Cambodia all the way over to the continent of Africa in the bush village of Nsoko, Swaziland. Our 3 days of travel was fun, relaxing, and yet exhausting. Our 1st stop was an hour of deplaning in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; after an 8 hour flight to Doha, Qatar we had an equally long layover in the dead of night. Another teammate and I were able to take advantage of this time, snagged our Qatari visas and visited her friend outside of airport security! From there we had another 7 hr+ flight that took us into Johannesburg, South Africa! (Both flights were on Qatar airlines, the absolute best airlines out there, exquisitely accommodating!).
Finally, I am on African soil! What were once only dreams and fantasies of a faraway land & people painted by the mainstream media is now reality, and a true picture is being composed! Praise the Lord! After 5 hours of drive time, an evening border crossing, and an overnight stay at a random guest house in Manzini, Swaziland, my team and I have made it to our ministry site! We have been living at an AIM base dubbed “The Anchor Center.” Our plastered up building is 1 of 10 care points in and around the area of Nsoko. Nsoko is located in the far Southeast of Swaziland; a seemingly endless mountain range a mile west is a natural border to South Africa, and the ever expanding hill country spackled with sugar cane farms encompasses the remaining lands.
Our ministry, simply put, is the kids. We work alongside the discipleship team (D-team: a group of dedicated young Swazi adults who desire for the new generation to be raised up in the Lord) and the long-term missionary families on site. Each day home visits (consisting of food delivery & prayer) are made, care points are assisted (serving food with the gogos and teaching a Bible lesson), the anchor center is maintained, and much needed quality time is spent with the young kids that are everywhere. They are seemingly everywhere and without parents. Kids that normally would need a babysitter in the States are raising toddlers. Here in Swazi, they call it the “Missing generation.”
…now for the brutal truth… The Kingdom of Swaziland has an extinction date, yes you heard it correctly, the country as a whole is said to cease to exist by 2050A.D. It has the highest HIV/AIDS infection rate in the world. This epidemic has decimated the 20-40 year old age group causing a missing generation here. 1 out of every 10 kids is raised in an orphaned run household, kids raising kids. And over half of the kids we see each day are HIV+. There are nearly 60-100 kids that go to each of the AIM run care points for their ONLY meal of the day, and most often they go without food over the weekend when there is no care point being run. Just put yourself in their shoes, their muddied up hole-ridden shoes that don’t even fit. Bring yourself back to the age of 7. Now place yourself in a mud hut, raising a 3 & 4 year old, living on one meal a day, fighting off an incurable disease, pushing your wheel barrel with your brother, sister, and 5 gallon jug of water back home from the well. I hope your heart sinks as much has mine has over these past 2 weeks, because this is the norm in Swaziland. The need for eternal life in Christ is needed here now more than ever before as death is knocking at the doorsteps of this country.
The adversity is insurmountable and perilous by worldly standards, but I serve a God who IS able; Thee Living God who has overcome the snares of death itself. That alone gets me pumped for ministry each day, that I am blessed to literally bring life in the land that is over shadowed by death. My team and I take the hand of the little ones; hug them, hold them, nurture them and pour out our love for them in any way we can. Most kids do not get a chance to be loved on, and most kids don’t even get a chance to be kids as they are raising others. We are here to bless them with those opportunities and to lavish the Father’s love on them. We are also here to spread the knowledge and truth of the gospel to the teenagers around. They are so crucial to God’s Kingdom and the hope of Swaziland, as they will be the ones to lead this country soon. It is an immense privilege to be an integral part of this ministry and the future of Swaziland! I have envisioned God doing the impossible; completely flipping the fate of this country around. I tell you, God will declare His glory through this country!
Please be in continual prayer this month for all the kids of Swaziland. That God would be their continuous provider and His daily bread would be more than enough for these kids to thrive. That God would rise up a generation of Believers to lead this country out of the darkness that is so prevalent. I am indebted to you all for your commitment to lift me up in your daily prayers and will be forever thankful. Please take these next 2 weeks, in partnership with me, to lift up the next generation of Swazi Kids.
Love you all! – Nate
I want to give a shout out to my sister, Kendra! As I sat in church the past 2 weeks I thought of the overwhelming joy that you would find in Swazi worship! For real, it is the most passionate lovely harmonized music in the world!!! I have heard nothing more beautiful in my life, you must come to Africa! At the end of the month, once I have actual internet I will upload it for you! Miss & love you like crazy!
WR Fun Facts:
Siswati is a language that uses clicks!
Cooking for yourselves on the rest makes for some of the greatest random sing alongs, and spontaneous dance parties!
Eventually, all your clothes match the red dirt of Africa!
Being at the end of the plumbing line on a gravity feed water system makes for some interest shower scenarios!
No internet in the bush, Pictures will be uploaded at the end of the month!
