It’s time for Africa!! After five months in Asia, I was more than ready to head back to the motherland. I was born and partially raised in Nigeria but I have never been to any other country in Africa. Prior to the race I didn’t even know there was a country called Swaziland. So let’s just say I was pretty stoked! Our journey began with a flight from Kathmandu, Nepal to Doha, Qatar then to Johannesburg, South Africa. We then took a long drive from South Africa to Swaziland. It was quite the journey but after 8 months of traveling I’ve become accustomed to long trips. To provide a recap of my time in Swaziland, here are some questions I thought you would be interested to find out answers to 🙂
1.What was the country like, culture, accomodations, etc?
Swaziland was absolutely beautiful! Miles and miles of green. It’s was a bit weird seeing so many brown faces all the time. While grocery shopping my teammate Megan said for the first time she could not find me which had never been the case in the past months in Asia and Latin America. My team and I stayed in a homestead about 20 minutes away from a major city called Manzini. We lived with another team so there were about 16 of us living under one roof. The people were extremely friendly and welcoming. I would often be mistaken for a siswati (Swazi native) and only when I responded in English did they realize I was American. And daily one of us ladies would receive a marriage proposal. I was offered 76 cows at some point! Not shabby eh?
2.What was ministry like?
This month we worked with the Adventures in Missions (AIM) Swaziland base. James and I got to serve at a CarePoint called Magwaneni where we got to assist the teachers with their very active 31 preschoolers ranging from age 4 to 6 for about 3 hours a day during the week. Two to three times we would pay some home visits at Hope House, a Christ-centered place where terminally ill people are able to receive care and comfort. I had the privilege of getting to know the most precious 14 year old girl named Nontokozo. She helped to take care of her terminally ill mother. She’s extremely sharp and very knowledgeable about the bible. Her smile and presence bought me so much joy. She was my absolute favorite and I would save her visit for last to spend as much time with her as possible!
3. What was a typical day?
I enjoy watching sunrises and sunsets. And boy does Africa have the best of both! So I would rise around 6am to hop in my hammock. Spend some amazing quiet time with my Father overlooking the sunrise. Head out to catch a khumbe (taxi van) to the Carepoint with James by 9am. There I would be welcomed with hugs and tunes of “Teacher! Teacher!” by my preschoolers. Their joy was so infectious. We would review the alphabets, numbers, writing their names, and of course story time. Then recess entailed dance parties as I blasted David Crowder on my speakers and then we would play soccer. After class was over the little boys from my classroom would walk me and James to the bus stop and wait till a Khumbe arrived to take us into town. By 1pm we would be at Hope House (HH), and I would pop my head in so say hello to Sister Joseph (the woman in charge of HH). Then look for my sister, a Nigerian nurse who happened to have my name and worked at HH and we immediately bonded! Then I would pop into some patients home, spend some time chatting then prayed with them. Finally I would visit my favorite, Nontokozo. We would read bible stories together, then have dance parties, and sometimes have wheelchair races with James around the compound. Head back home around 5pm in time to cook dinner (if it was my turn) for the team. Team time and feedback then back in the hammock to watch the stars at night! Never seen the stars as clear as they are in Swaziland and on occasions I would get to see several shooting stars!
4.Favorite Memories?
Going to a safari has always been on my bucket list. I got the fortunate (unfortunate if we were attacked) privilege to sit shotgun in the safari. Right before we headed out I got a little to excited and started dancing, flinging my arms in the air and ended up punching the guide in the face! I’m sure he was pleased to be sitting next to me for the next 2 hours. No, but he was very gracious and laughed off the incident. The safari experience itself was AHhhhMAZING! I got to see 3 of the big five animals up close and personal, including lions, rhinos, elephants, impalas, zebras, giraffe, just to name a few. I was literally a few feet away from some of the most dangerous animals on the planet! Had a few scares, like a lioness approaching our jeep (a cub was nearby) then we were chased by an aggressive rhino. Yea let’s just say it was an eventful safari experience I will never forget!
Other memories included getting to watch my first professional soccer game as Swaziland played Sierra Leone. The following day we were featured in sports section of the Swaziland newspaper! It said “some of the fans at Somholo National Stadium…” Yup a whole bunch of American faces! Hehe.
5.What broke my heart?
It is projected that this beautiful country of Swaziland will no longer exist in 2050 because of the AIDS/HIV epidemic. At least 12 of the 31 preschoolers we worked with had HIV. Of no fault of their own. I would frequently see billboard ads about how it’s okay to live with HIV. To me it appeared having HIV/AID was like having a common cold. It really saddens my heart the direction the health of the country is going and my prayer is for a restoration of health for the country.
6.What the Lord taught me?
The importance of diligence. It was month 9 and fatigue is starting to set it. When I didn’t feel like going to ministry, I had the pray for joy and strength. I didn’t particular wanted to be part of Hope House. I don’t do well will sick people but that happened to be my favorite ministry this month! Sometimes when we don’t want to do something, rather than thinking about ourselves, focus on what the Lord has to teach us through that experience. It’s usually always awesome!
Check out Swaziland pictures here.
With Love,
