*Imagine this blog with lots of cute pics of kiddos. Unfortunately, wifi speed doesn’t allow me to actually add them, but they’ll be on my facebook next week if you want to see them. ;P*
This month, half of our squad has been living and working together in Nsoko, Swaziland. Nsoko is a rural part of the country and has been referred to as the “forgotten” city. It’s one of the hottest and driest places in the country, has some of the highest HIV/AIDS rates in the country, and just doesn’t have a lot around it. But it’s a BEAUTIFUL part of the country with a slow pace that makes you stop and take in the things and the people around you.The people are some of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet and the culture is vibrant. It’s been such a privilege to spend the month here and to learn to slow down and to really pour into relationships.
In Swaziland as a whole, there is a huge unemployment rate and death/loss is a normal part of life. Many children grow in up single parent homes due to men leaving or having multiple wives, death, or addiction/neglect. Because of these things and many other factors, families struggle to survive. To help with this, AIM partners with communities in Swaziland through different care points, where children in that community can come and be fed, hang out, and learn through lessons and curriculum designed for them. It’s been such an eye opening month to see ministry done well in a way that gives so much ownership to the community and to learn from that.
Our ministry this month has been to work at these care points. My team was at a care point called Joyella. The first part of the month, we were digging a trench around the playground with a pickaxe so that we could build a tire fence. A Gap Year team had started it and we got to build on that. Other than the manual labor at the site, our job was to simply hang out with and to love on the children that came to the care point. In the mornings we would hang out with the young pre-school age kids and then the older ones would join in after school. We spent our days holding sleeping babes, chasing kids around, playing soccer, holding up kids on the monkey bars, reading books, etc. Sometimes, the days felt long and it was hard to see the purpose. But knowing that these kids are often raising themselves and don’t get this attention at home, it was important to really be present. To hold them and rub their backs. To let them know that they were loved and valued. To just laugh with them and to pray for them. It was a month of slowing down and practicing being present.
The month at the carepoints with the kids taught or reminded me of a lot of lessons, here are some of them:
– Sometimes, the most powerful ministry is just being present with people. That could mean holding a sleeping baby, sitting and holding a child’s hand, or listening to the story of someone.
– Every kid deserves a chance.
– Kids are resilient and tough.
– Individual attention and pursuit can totally shift someone’s attitude or behavior.
– Laughter is contagious.
– Fight for the things that you need.
– There’s a lot of wonder in the smallest of things, don’t lose your curiosity.
– Sometimes, you have to create your own joy and entertainment.
– Family structure and relationships are incredibly important.
– It’s the small things that count. Don’t overlook them.
– Language is only a tiny part of communication.
– Community builds one another up and takes care of each other.
– Prayer and relationships have a more eternal impact than the tangible things we can do.
– It’s easy to be drawn to those that are “cute”, peaceful, fun, and easy to love on, but it’s important not to let that deter you from seeking out those who may be more challenging to love or more aloof, because it’s often those that need your attention and love.
