Thursday, June 20th
I realized
earlier this week that my time in Swaziland this summer is about halfway
through. Wow, where did the time
go? At the same time it feels like I
have been here for so long and many aspects of the life and culture are
beginning to feel like home to me. I
guess that is what happens when you invest in daily life alongside the locals
and missionaries for over 6 weeks. We
said goodbye to the church team that we had hosted here in Nsoko on
Wednesday. They had only stayed here one
week and, although their time was short, it was very full and rich. None of them had been to Swaziland before as
their church had just recently started to sponsor the care point,
Mahangeni. Sponsoring a care point means
that the church supplies funds to provide a meal each weekday to all of the
kids in the area (between 30-100 depending on the care point), as well as
provides for other upkeep and needs, and commits to pray regularly for the
area. It also means that the church
attempts to set up every kid at the care point with a personal sponsor from
their church body (much like Compassion works).
Anyways, several of the members of this team were personally sponsoring
kids at the care point and were excited to actually meet them and get to know
those whom they had been praying and providing school fees for. Their church had committed to trying to send
a short-term to Nsoko each summer in order to form relationships and build a
long-term partnership with the area.
As I
prepared with my own team to serve and prepared for my internship time I had
many conversations and had done a lot of reading on short-term missions and how
they often are not done in a very sustainable or supportive way for deep-rooted
or long-term impact. In contrast, it was
really encouraging this last week to see how well the ministry here
incorporates the energy, time, and resources of short-term teams coming through
to fuel and provide for the long-term ministry and discipleship. While the team was here we got to help them
build the kids at Mahangeni two brand new swing sets, plant 10 trees at the
care point, and throw the entire community a carnival day and a feast as a
celebration. I watched as the team
supplied each and every homestead in the area with a Bible in Siswati and got
to participate in many home visits alongside the team to those they were
supporting. Cross-cultural partnership
is difficult, but it is incredible to see some of the tangible ways that we as
the church can serve as Jesus’ hands and feet.
During the carnival well over a hundred kids showed up. We had game and craft stations, skits,
singing, Bible lessons, and even an inflatable bounce castle. I got to help run the bounce castle for over
3 hours and needless to say it was the premier attraction. Kids were trying to do backflips, leap down
the slide, or sneak onto it in any possible way and it took every bit of my
energy and focus to try to organize it and make sure no more than 4 or 5 were
jumping at a time. I still must have had
at least half as much fun as they all did, though, and I learned several new
phrases in SiSwati as I had to know how to say: “Times up!”, “Get Off!”,
“Jump!”, “Wait!”, and “Go In!”.
Complete. Chaos. J
On a more
serious note, there were a few occasions from this past week when I came to
face to face with some of the overwhelming heaviness and needs in the
area. In many ways the church body is
growing and thriving in Nsoko; the community looks out for each others needs,
gather & visit each other in their homes to encourage and pray for each
other, and love gathering together on Sundays or at revivals for loud and
upbeat worship. However, as my friends
Erica and Mxolisi have talked a lot about, there are a lot of deep and dark
spiritual strongholds in the area and spiritual warfare is very real (Its very
real in the states too, but in some ways it takes a much more physical and
up-front face here). Ancestor worship
and witchcraft is practiced in areas and, in some cult groups, is incorporated
along with Christian teachings. As such
spiritual oppression, dark arts & activities, and even demon-possession are
not uncommon to the area. Definitely
heavy things that are not only worth praying over, but demand are very focus
and effort in combatting through the love of Christ and prayer. I was reminded this last week, in a very
profound and real way, that where 2 or more are gathered in His name there His
presence is also, and that no spiritual power of darkness can have any
authority or presence where God’s glory and presence abides.
I also
faced burden and heaviness upon getting to drive, along with my friend Smanga,
a couple of kokos and teenage boy to a hospital an hour away. Encountering first hand some of the sickness
that I know is so common here along with waiting for the long hospital processes
again reminded me starkly of the developing world culture I am living in. As Smanga and I waited for the others we had
plenty of time to chat and just hang out together. Smanga is the handy man around the Anchor
Center and care points and is probably the ministry partner that I am closet
with. I am really grateful for his
friendship, his teasing, and for his constant laughter and joy. He is always smiling and teasing people about
something and reminds me every day that I am crazy. His favorite phrases all begin with “Your
crazy (bench, clothes, music, feel in the blank”, or “Eesh man, it’s because
you are crazy.” Haha, he is always working hard and bouncing around and has
been teasing me this last week that I need to teach him to dance. I keep bringing it up and telling him, “Today’s
the day Smanga!” To which he always
repsonds: “Nooooo, maybe tomorrow, or maybe not.” Haha, anyways I had the opportunity to hear a
lot more of his story when we were at the hospital and we talked a lot about
some of the incredible cultural differences between America and Swaziland. I was struck by how starkly different the
worlds are that we born into and by getting to hear his personal stories of the
hardships and poverty that he and his family faced and still face.
Smanga told
me that the Swazi people really feel honored when I try to speak their
language, even when I fail miserably, and that he is impressed by my effort and
how much I have learned. In fact he told
me the other day that I am becoming a Swazi now and he and another ministry
partner, Nelly, introduced me on a home visit as their “Swazi friend” after I
greeted the locals with a few different Siswati phrases. J All that said, I am rejoicing in the fact
that I still have nearly 5 weeks left here in Swaziland and have found myself
so energized and renewed each day to invest deeper in life, ministry, and
relationships. The Lord has blessed me
this last week with several deep and rich conversations with people here and I
have continued to find my strength in Him as I place all of my hope and
treasure in Him; For where my treasure is, there will my heart be also. Please be praying that I am faithful and that
I continue to abide in hope. Pray for
the all of the intense needs here and the daily struggles the locals face. Pray for health and strength for us interns
and the missionaries and ministry partners as we prepare to host another team
this next week.
Love this...I can picture almost every single thing that you've written here. I'm so happy to hear all of these updates!
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