This is King David. Okay, well, he’s not really a king (believe it or not), and his name’s not even David. I’m actually not sure what
his real name is. What I can tell you about him is that he played David in the David and Goliath skit we performed, and he successfully hit me between the eyes with a piece of paper made to look like a rock. Oh, and he’s the cutest kid you’ll ever see.
I met King David at the Mbhuthu carepoint, which is a 20 minute walk on the main road from where we are staying. This carepoint is one of eight in the area that children can go to in order to be fed – at least a lunch meal, but occasionally breakfast is provided as well. The meals I’ve seen are always a type of porridge with a bean of peanut buttery type of protein mixed in. There’s usually a vegetable mixed in there too. The meals that the children get at the carepoints are the only meals they eat in a day. If there’s no food to make, they go hungry that day.
The carepoint itself is nothing more than a concrete building where the food is stored. The Gogos (the term means grandmother in Saswati) are “elderly” ladies who run the place. They do so because they are then entitled to a free meal for themselves, their children, and their grandchildren for that day. They Gogos cook outside using a big cauldron and a fire. They siphon water out of a large green container to soften the porridge and so the kids can wash their hands. On any normal day, the 
kids show up around 10AM and they play together until lunch is ready. Sometimes they receive some teaching from the Gogos on math or english, if they have materials to use that are donated by organizations like UNICEF.
For the last week, we’ve been able to visit carepoints in the morning and spend time with the children. We teach them songs and games, and sometimes we get them to teach us too. We blow bubbles and give them time to color, and as long as we have a translator, we perform an interactive skit for them. That’s when a first noticed David. We was volunteered to play the role, and although I don’t think he knew exactly what was going on, he stepped into the role without hesitation.
Someone so small turned out to be the perfect rival for a giant like myself. As I taunted the Israelite army, David was trying on Saul’s armor. Realizing the armor was just too big, David “found” some “smooth stones” and proceeded to “sling” one of them at me. The “stone” caught me between my eyes, bringing me to the ground. The little guy was victorious.
After our battle, I noticed that little David wanted to be buddy-buddy. I thought this might be difficult considering that he had just struck me between the eyes with an object of destruction, but he proved quite easy to lo
ve. He really enjoys being launched into the air and twirled around, and he also likes using my leg as a seat whenever I am sitting down. From there I usually turn into a jungle-gym of some sort. You won’t hear me complaining, it’s actually quite fun.
I’m not sure how much of a difference we have made while we’ve been here, but I know God has a plan for this country and for the people here. It’s my hope that, even if the little children don’t yet understand, that the adults see that God loves this place and that He is working to save this country. While statistics show Swaziland is a dying country, in Christ there is hope that little guys like David can have a future.
