Swaziland…
I actually became numb to
it right off the bat.
my face.
on the planet,
and that I would never return.
I told myself that all I had to do was make it through the next month and I’d leave for good…
Never looking back.
It’s a freakin sad place.
If I would
have combed just one street for parent-less or abandoned children,
own.
There’s a
missing generation.
There are old people and there are children.
Swaziland is in survival mode.
It is said that by 2050 the
entire country will have died off.
There is a somber silence on the
streets that is unexplainable.
People are well aware they are
destitute and so they seem to be just existing.
There are few
orphanages…
I would go as far to say Swaziland is one big
orphanage.
There are big plots of land around the country
set up by Adventures called “Care Points”
Where an old lady has been hired to
cook a huge pot of rice or beans a day.
Children and babies come
out of the woodwork daily just to get even a morsel in their empty bellies.
You
look around and see kids eating a few bites and putting the rest away
to take to siblings that probably didn’t have enough energy to walk however many miles that day.
before.
The hospitals… oh the hospitals.
They are covered with people.
There aren’t enough funds or
faculty to legit take care of patients…
Food and clean sheets and clothing
are dependent on family members.
What about the orphans? What about the
widows who have no one?
There is a wing of the hospital that
is for burn victims.
Most of those victims are young children who
were thrown in fire pits by family members
Attempted murder because of something the poor babies can’t control.
The
place is corrupt.
The king of Swaziland says that if you shower
after sex you won’t get AIDS.
The place is ready for a revival.
They are eager for a hope that hasn’t yet been found.
They are
hungry for a love that they know exists but don’t know where to find it.
As I walked the streets of
Swaziland, I hated it. I felt as if there was no hope.
Little
did I know, there was a passion implanted in my heart despite my
hatred.
There was a spark ignited that would soon turn into a forest fire.
As I continued the race, I had
dreams and visions of this place I once detested.
I remembered faces I once looked past, and fell in love with them.
A
hope for the country exploded inside of me.
It took
everything in me the past two years not to just bump back and start taking in babies.
knew that if I returned based solely out of emotion, I would crash
and burn almost instantly.
I waited and prayed and cried
over this country.
Wanting to go back… but not feeling that whisper
to GO.
I’ve been working at Adventures the
past semester and it’s been so good.
I’ve learned so much and I’m so
thankful.
Although I signed up for a year of CGA, we don’t have class in the summer.
We are encouraged to continue working in the office or to lead trips.
Finding that out, I immediately put on my insecure pants and told myself I’m not adequate enough to lead a trip.
I convinced myself that I could lead maybe a week long trip and work in the office the rest of the summer.
But as the summer approached, I had this overwhelming feeling that God had a plan for my summer that I couldn’t fathom.
I
stepped out of my comfort zone and applied to lead a Passport trip.
Terrifying.
How could a flimsy little flesh like me lead such a trip? But, I applied.
I said “I don’t freakin know… I just know I’m supposed to apply.”
As soon as I read this, I freaked out.
The time has come for me to go back to Swaziland
and I’m so freaking thrilled.
lead seven freakin awesome women called too Africa too.
the country on seven others.
To be the place I love
and to ignite others with the same passion he has ignited inside of
me.
this will all play out.
All I know is that it’s my time to
return.
I have butterflies at the thought of stepping on that oh so
beautiful African soil in four short weeks.
weeks.
whatever He tells me to.
I’ll be blogging obnoxiously to keep
you all updated.
Prayers appreciated, as I’m terrified but
anxiously excited at the same time.
jail for kidnapping orphans and stuffing them into my backpack.
kidding. But really.
Also, I’m asked to raise some funds for
this… but that doesn’t intimidate me.
If you feel called to give… blow it
up.
I’m freaking pumped for this next
season. And, I know He is too.
Come what may.
