Last month, the entire U Squad was together at El Shaddai Ministries, which is a children’s home near Mbabane, the capital of Swaziland. We spent the month at El Shaddai in a variety of settings; mornings were spent working on various projects, afternoons were spent with the kids, and in the evenings we would sometimes host special events for the kids. It was a busy month but I enjoyed every minute of it.
Almost everyone on the squad was assigned a “buddy” for the month – a child or teenager at El Shaddai with whom they would spend the afternoons.
Kaitlyn and Benjamin Amber and Akeelah
I, however, wasn’t given a buddy. When I arrived, I was informed that instead I would be directing and teaching the El Shaddai choirs, which sang in church each Sunday. On Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays I co-taught a music class/choir rehearsal with one of my other squadmates (whose name also happens to be Sarah). There were two choirs, one made up of kids and pre-teens and the other made up of teenagers.
The children’s choir: Colile, Lindo, Ayanda, Nothando, Siphe, Nokuphila, Maria, Akeelah, Nomphilo, and Ziki
Serving at the children’s home was really wonderful, and the entire squad loved spending time with the kids. The vast majority of them are there because they have either lost their parents or their family can’t take care of them. They don’t have much structure or order in a group setting like El Shaddai, but they are being cared for and we were glad to have the opportunity to invest in them.
I loved being on top of a mountain in the middle of nowhere. Being there with the entire squad allowed for a lot of learning opportunities, and I am very grateful for them. I love the U squad so much and it was an honor to get to know them better.
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is hear from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” -Psalm 19:1-4
I didn’t have to look hard to see God at work at El Shaddai, in both the people and in the scenery. The expanse of stars in the Swazi sky never failed to amaze me and leave me in awe of the Lord. It made me feel so small and yet so significant at the same time – the omnipotent creator of this endless universe, which exists only for his glory, knows and loves me. How insane is that? And as I look at the kids at El Shaddai, most of whom have been abandoned in one way or another by their earthly parents, have not been overlooked by their heavenly father. They have so little and yet so much, and I praise God for that.
