There is so much to say that I hardly know where to start. I am in Africa, and it’s a ride. Jumping into community with 50 ish new people is a little intense. There are many ups and downs emotionally.
Here in Swaziland I have been staying on a base with my 47 other squad mates/leaders. There are 2 girls rooms with bunks and bathrooms, and one guys room, our team leaders have their own small room and our squad leader and squad mentor have their own small room also. There’s a common room with tables and chair where we all eat meals and do morning devotionals, and all dinners are made.
A typical day here is pretty unpredictable, sometimes the power randomly goes out. Sometimes the Lord wrecks you and you’re crying like a baby all day. Sometimes there’s mud in the shower and the floors are never clean. You definitely want to put shoes on the moment you roll out of your bunk. There’s definitely a colony of ants everywhere you look outside and inside where there’s food. All things need to be sealed or hidden in the fridge. It’s pretty dry here and it should be pretty hot for the majority of our time here but this week it went from 100 one day to 65 degrees the next so will see. No expectations.
For ministry we go to with our team. The places we go to ministry are called care-points. At the care-points people from the community little and big come to get meals every afternoon Monday through Friday. The meals are a mixture of rice and some kind of protein cooked. At our care-point there is a preschool and a school. It’s a big care-point. The students are beautiful and they all desire to hangout and just be with you. The Swazi people are very relational and it means a lot to them just to spend time together. They teach me and convict me to be content with what the Lord has given me. My teams job is mostly to play with the kids and do odd jobs around the care-point such as weed the garden or rebuild a shaded platform.
Another part of our ministry is home visits. On the 24th we went on our first home visit to a lovely older women’s home. She had 7 grandkids who lived there with her. Her name is Flora. Flora was wonderful, she had a huge heart for the Lord and told us how she desires mostly for her heart to be clean before the Lord. She hasn’t walked since 2017, and she allowed us to pray over her that the Lord would heal her of her sickness and that she may be able to walk again. She wouldn’t try to stand up for us, but she promised when we came back we would find her walking. She told us she desires to be able to walk to church just one more time. She is a beautiful soul. She was full of joy despite her circumstances. She truly showed me the Joy of Abba’s heart. I am convicted by her to be content and take it a step farther and just be joyful in every moment that I have the privilege to spend it in the presence of my Heavenly Father. I may not have WiFi or heat or air conditioning or clean clothes, or a choice in the food I eat but I have plenty in His presence and that is all I will ever need. Therefore, I WILL REJOICE.
My team also has the privilege to cook meals for the squad each night with a lovely Swazi woman named Dolly. She is beautiful inside and out. She blasts her Swazi praise jams in the kitchen while we cook and sings a long. She loves Jesus a lot and is constantly talking about her worship of him. The beauty of the Lord flows from her in the way she loves us. She sees the Lord’s heart in everyone she meets. Dolly is a huge blessing to know.
Children’s ministry is not the easiest for me but it is growing me and growing on me. It’s draining emotionally and hard work but it is the work the Lord has called me to in this season and every day he gives me the exact strength I need to be exactly as he has me to be. And do exactly as he had called me to do.
I am thankful for this season of growing and stretching. And experiencing newfound identity and receiving more and more of the Lord’s love and grace.
Sending love and blessings from Africa,
Tes
