Week two in Swaziland has swiftly come to an end. My team and I are sharing a house this month with two other teams on our squad, Daughters of Grace and Firebrands, which means that we are sharing a tight space with 20 people. Here you’ll find us striving to embrace community at its finest- between developing schedules for cooking, washing dishes, cleaning, and adjusting to differing sleeping patterns, we’ve been able to learn how to adapt to each others different personalities and lifestyles.
This month, ministry looks quite different for my team. Instead of tenting in the middle of nowhere, playing with children, and visiting local villages, we are staying in the city of Manzini at an AIM base. Instead of doing scheduled ministry together as a large team, we are all split up into smaller groups and working at different carepoints to meet the needs of the ministry and the local people. Instead of sharing the Gospel mainly with our words, we are sharing the love of Christ mainly through our service.
There are many different types of service we are partaking in this month, including teaching, medical, data entry, curriculum development, IT, graphic design, and manual labor. 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 states, “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” The general consensus of our group is that it doesn’t matter what type of service we are doing because we didn’t come on this journey to please ourselves. We came with the intention of furthering the kingdom.
We are not a group of doctors. We do not have a plethora of knowledge about computers. We have never written curriculum for children before. But we have become all of these things for the sake of the Gospel. In 1 Corinthians 9:22b-23, Paul says, “I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.” We know that sharing the Gospel this year will require us to be stretched outside of our comfort zones. Instead of facing new circumstances with an, “I can’t do that,” our teams have responded with, “I can learn how to do that.”
I have been placed at a two room school that teaches preschoolers and kindergarteners. I am assisting a teacher here named Treasure. For those of you who don’t know, this is exactly what I was doing for a year and a half before I left for the race. Honestly, my initial reaction to being placed here was discontent. I wanted to try something I have never done before; I wanted to learn a new skill, connect with people through this, and share God through these relationships. But on my first day of ministry, God shifted my thinking.
Instead of spending this month focusing on developing a new skill, He was giving me the opportunity to really use what I already knew how to do. My attention this month should not be focused on myself, because this experience is not about me. God wants me to take the time I would be spending learning something new and concentrate that energy on building a deeper, more personal relationship with the teacher I work with. He wants me to encourage a fellow believer and give her the rest and the support that she needs to truly flourish this month. If anyone reading this has ever worked with children, you’ll understand that teaching a group of 20 four year olds by yourself is exhausting. Whatever burdens I can carry for Treasure, I will gladly take on, for we are called to carry one another’s burdens.
I have been asking God for a joyful attitude this month through my service, not only for myself but for my fellow teammates as well. He has given me reminders to embrace each day with open arms and to be the incarnation of His constant love for His people and His creation. I know that He will continue to shape and mold me each day, each month, and I know that He will transform my heart to align more with His. I am excited to see the changes He wants to make within me and the methods He will choose to do this.
Thanks to everyone for your continual love, support, comments and prayers. Please be praying for our health and safety, that we’re able to flourish in our ministry, that we find enough rest in Christ, and that we’re filled with fellowship with one another. I can’t wait to engage further in my ministry this month and delve deeper into my relationship with Christ.
