We’ve been in Nsoko for a week now, and in that week I’ve met several new people. A majority of these are the children we’ll be ministering to this month. There are also the sick in the villages who we are caring for. Then, there’s the group of young adults who hang out here.
We’ve been able to get to know the children as they come around the building we’re staying in. Here there is a small playground and also a place for them to eat lunch. The school is just up the road so we get a lot of kids during their break. I often have trouble with names, but it’s easy to recognize faces – and they all know who we are. We’ve been able to play sports with them in the afternoons and chat using whatever English they know. This has been a great way to build relationships with them! Other timers, it’s fun to just sit around and goof off.
Just the other day I was going to fetch some water and some of the neighborhood kids decided to help me out. With three water jugs between the 8 of us, we headed off toward the well. Since one of the first things these kids learn in school is some english, we were able to make conversation on the way. They asked my name and where I was from, my age, those kinds of questions. Then, one of the boys pointed to another and said, “He is your brother.”. I smiled and replied that we’re all brothers, and all friends. The same boy responded, “No, he is your brother – and I am your father!”. So before we even made it to the well, I was made aware that I was traveling with my family, from nephews to my grandmother, who was a younger lady doing laundry by the well. Laughter ensued.
This week we’ve been doing home visits. Cathy and I have been visiting a woman in her 40’s who is HIV+ and has pains in her throat when breathing. Montombi can’t even work when it’s windy outside because the air burns her throat. Her knee is badly bruised and she has trouble getting around at times. She has a one room house she stays in, but she is worried it will be taken from her. She is a believer. Through a translator, we’ve been getting to know Montombi and her family. We’ve been able to pray for her and share words from the Bible as well. I hope that by being there, we’re showing her that God cares for her and that He will take care of her.
These young adults, whose ages range from 18-22, are on staff for Pastor Gift’s ministry. These guys and girls have also been our translators for the past few days while we visit the sick in their homes. They are also quickly becoming good friends. Each one dreams big, with thoughts of going to university or traveling to far off lands like America. For now, they are filling a need in the community and helping spread the Word of God. We introduced them to Mexican cooking the other night and they all loved it. They’ve also had PB&J’s for the first time recently – I wonder what else we can treat them to?
The individual I am closest to is Majabane Magagula. Just like everyone else here, he is a Swazi from Nsoko. His father is still alive and they live together at the moment, but Majabane wants to travel to the US and work for a few seasons before returning to Swaziland and opening a business here. He has a heart for God and it looks to me like he is really seeking to learn more at this point in his life, and I hope I can help him with that.
These Swazis currently live in a dying, rather forgotten country. We’re simply here to show that God has not forgotten about this place. Instead, God has a plan for even such a small country as this, and we need to raise up these people and give them hope so that they can accomplish what He has planned for them. When God is in charge, all is never lost.
