Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. – James 1:27
Statistics show that by 2050 the adult population in Swaziland will be extinct, and that there are over 200,000 AIDS orphans. To top it all off….it’s also noted that 8000 children each month become orphans in Swaziland. So, in the four weeks that I was there….8000 new children became orphans….8000.
….you do the math, and then let that sink in for a second….
A country that was desolate and full of despair was what I had in mind as we drove two hours to the top of the mountain….and than I began to hear stories like this one:
A two year old that by the time she was one was already an alcoholic, because her mom would take her to the different bars alongside her, and then give her alcohol to keep her quiet while she went and prostituted herself out. Not to mention that she has HIV to go along with that. Oh, and her two older brothers were found hanging upside down from a tree where their father had been raping, beating, and biting them.
That was only two of the dozens of stories that I heard upon arrival. Stories of abandonment, rape, death, and HIV seemed to be the norm of this country. How the spirit of lust dwells in this small country.
How do you wrap your head around things like this? What did God have up His sleeve for me during this month?
….to love….
Enter our ministry site….El Shaddai. Meaning “God Almighty”. A place that is set atop a mountain, and has a view that looks unreal….like it is a painting.
God’s plan for this place was evident before I met any of the children. It was evident when I looked out of my window every morning.
….to love….
El Shaddai is a place of hope for Swaziland. It’s a place that’s giving hope to the future of Swaziland, and a place that is keeping Swaziland alive. It’s a place where I got to see kids of all ages praise the Lord, get an education, get food in their bellies, and a place of safety and shelter.
It’s a place where I got to love on sweet babies like the two year old that I spoke of earlier with HIV, and that was an alcoholic by the time she was one.
A place where I got to love on 16 year old girl….even when she was being sassy….and hear about her dreams of being a massage therapist and her passion for singing.
I’ve loved on each one of the children there. I’ve hugged them, hung out with them, tutored them, spun them around in circles, laughed with them, had “girls night” and “boys night” with them….I’ve seen them laugh, and seen them cry. I got to pour the love of Jesus on them for an entire month, and a piece of my heart will always be there with them.
It was a month where I got a glimpse at the amount of love that Jesus has for me, because of the amount of love I had for all of these nuggets. It’s amazing to know that it doesn’t even compare to His love for me, but it makes my heart want to burst out of my chest….all at the same time.
El Shaddai can’t do it alone. They have incredible sponsors that help in making sure it continues to thrive, and remains a safe place for these children. They also have people that have partnered with them in sponsoring the children. Unfortunately not all of these children have sponsors yet. That’s where YOU come into the picture. I ask that you prayerfully consider sponsoring one of these precious babies. Like I said earlier….I have been blessed with the opportunity to hugh, love, laugh, cry, cuddle, and hug some more with them. What an incredible opportunity to be a part of the adventure with me!
If you feel that the Lord is calling you to sponsor one of these nuggets, then just visit the site below for further guidance and instructions:
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when i was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. – Psalm 139:13-16
