Salutations, Sydney Nunley here 21, America, and I’m in Swaziland!
Just to keep you updated if you don’t already know I am on my 5thmonth of The World Race. I have been to the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Lesotho, and now Swazi. This month is an all squad month which means all 5 teams are together, and that makes 39 of us. This past month we have also had team changes which means I’m with a new group of girls for the next 3 months. My previous team, Vessels of Joy will go down in my own personal history. I will treasure each one of those girls with my whole hearts forever. I have learned so much from living in community with them these past 4 months.
This month we are in the town of Manzini in Swaziland. Like I said, the whole squad is together, it’s out of this world fun. This is our second all squad month, the first one was in Thailand where things looked completely different. In Thailand, we were always on the go, Asia is incredible and there are one hundred million things to get into. I got to explore nonstop with a couple of my bestest friends (I know that’s not a word but that seems like the best way to put it). Thailand was a lot like America and I got to share Jesus in all the ways I’ve always dreamed too. Dreams came true in Thailand.
We are now in our second all squad month in Swaziland where we are in tents, and we all share three bathrooms, one kitchen, and two couches. Each morning, we make our sack lunches for the day, and eat our breakfast all scattered yet crammed in our tiny living area. That coffee, yogurt and granola vibe in the air each morning has my heart feeling so full. There are people in the Word as early as four AM before they go off to ministry for the day. I can’t help but feel like I’m on Cheaper by The Dozen at times and I’m absolutely in love with it. Yea, it’s pretty impossible to find alone time (unless you hide behind a sheep pin or something) but I would not trade it for the world.
While talking about our time here on the race vs. back at in the states, a good friend of my mine, Malysa, explained the current season like this, “I needed this time so I could experience spiritual freedom, that way I could appreciate tangible and practical freedom and make the most out of it.” When I say Malysa is a good friend of mine, I mean she is one of my best friends in this whole entire world. My children will know who she is, she will be explained to them as the girl who showed me the importance of dreaming. We’ve been dreaming a lot here in Swazi. Adria, one of my sweetest home girls on the squad has been a living example of a dreamer, she has taught me the importance of co-creating your life with Christ. I could go on and on about how much I have learned from her by just being in the presence of her freedom. Malysa, Adria, and I have been waking up each morning here for the sunrise. It’s something sweet we wanted implemented into our lives, and we’re starting now.
There are mango and lime trees at our homestead. This feels significant because as a child I was obsessed with limes and lemons and when I got older and in high school, if I had a bad day I would go straight to the grocery store and buy a tub of mangos. So, I think God has been really sweet to me in that way. Things are slower here in Swazi, my ministry consist of home visits, sharing the good news with the community and encouraging them in their faith. In the evening we play with children at a local care point. The care point is where kids can go after school and get a warm meal, play on the swing set, and hear a story about Jesus. I meet a lot of new people each day, I love it a lot.
All my friends and family back home, I miss you guys a lot. I think often about how insanely privileged I am to have done life with you guys. This is only a pause, our faces will soon see each other again, and we’ll be back at it. Keep updating me on how life is, I treasure each word and experience you guys share with me. Also, hey Mom, Dad, Syd, Nannie, Pawpaw, and Maw maw, I miss you guys a little extra.
There it is, I’ll get better at updating y’all more frequently,
Until next time xoxoxox!!
