Sa Bona from Swaziland

Hello! So much has happened in the past week. Our group is in Swaziland, a small country to the east of South Africa. It is absolutely beautiful with many rolling mountains and the people are stealing my heart.

A typical day starts at 7:30 for prayer. Next is breakfast and morning sessions start at 9. Morning sessions include worship and teaching. This week the focus has been our identity in Christ. A different member of the staff has taught each day and we typically debrief with small groups about what we are learning. Then we quickly grab lunch (PB and J sandwiches everyday) and break up into four groups to go to a location for ministry. From 5-7 we have free time where we can do chores, sleep, shower (if your lucky), read, or just hang out. Then there’s super and we end the day with a worship service. This week we have had a special speaker, Gary Black, who is a missionary in Swaziland along with his wife and six boys.

My first day I went to a care point which is a station in the rural areas for kids to come to eat, play, and stay safe. Some are orphans and some just don’t have enough to eat at home. The language barrier has been difficult but the kids don’t care at all. They just want to be held. I played tag, danced, smiled, and just tried to be Jesus with my actions the best I could. A discipleship team of Swazi youth has risen up to teach the children about God. The travel around to the 9 care points making sure to come once a week. Please pray for provision for food, gas for the stove and more women who can help at the care points.

The next day we went to a squatter camp to help a pastor who planted a church there. Many kids gather at the church as a safe place during the day so we started playing there before going around to the different houses. A translator came with us and helped us talk and pray for the people in th community.

After that, I went to the Manzini Hospital for the next two days. I walked around talking the encouraging the people there. The first day I held a day old baby for a while while chatting to his mother. She didn’t know much English but she didn’t have any other family so I just tried to stay by her side. Before I left I prayed for her and her baby. The second day I walked into the women’s ward and found a woman there who I thought was sleeping. I was going to just keep walking when someone explained to me she had been taken off life support the day before and was dying. She wasn’t responsive at all but I just didn’t feel right about leaving her to die alone. My friend Kristen and I stayed by her side reading the Bible to her, praying for her, and singing praises to God over her. She saw still alive when we left but I pray that she will soon be able to leave behind the pain of this world and dance with the angels before our Lord.

There is so much more to say and I will have to post about the big feeding we had at the church last night were we slaughtered a cow for the community and had a big party. But for now my time is running out at this internet cafe and so I’ll have to wrap things up.

Thank you for everyone who is lifting me up in their prayers. I have been healthy and happy. I have been learning so much and have really been seeing God’s heart for Swaziland.
Please continue to pray for:
    safety as we are traveling back to South Africa on Monday
    Martha, a girl on my team, has been sick for the past few days
    the Blacks as the are starting a school and community center for orphans. The ground breaking is on Monday.
    the people of Swaziland to see the true God that is truly the King of Kings