Saturday, May 25th
Its been just over 2 weeks that
we’ve been back in Swaziland and I only have 1 week left with the rest of the
team. Im going to miss them a lot and it
is going to be a really tough 4 days when they leave on the 1st
until the intern team gets here on the 5th. But I am so excited that my time here is not
winding down and that, in fact, I will be able to be much more involved
throughout the next two months.
It has been sooo good to return to
life and ministry here so soon. At times
it has been hard and it is easier to fall into complacency when facing
desperation and heartbreak the 2nd time around. But I really love this country and the people
here and it is amazing to see redemption at work and the immense trust that
local believers with so little place in God’s faithfulness. I have been blown away again by encounters I
have had with locals suffering from mental disease, Aids, Cancer, missing
limbs, without electricity, clean water, or enough shelter for the numerous
family members living together…the list goes on and on and many of these issues
compound leading to very desperate situations….and yet consistently the overwhelming
response we receive from those who are believers is incredible gratitude and
trust in God and adamant belief that He will provide for them and has a
plan. We will be on home visits and
right when I am feeling overwhelmed with no idea how to encourage or offer any
hope the simplest prayer, psalm, or piece of scripture will touch a heart and
we suddenly get a glimpse of the incredible passion and faith of those we came
to serve. I had the sudden opportunity
to share my testimony while on a home visit with some non-believers and Im not
sure what seeds were planted but it was a pretty powerful moment. The gospel truly does come alive when we
find ourselves living with and encountering the least of these and sharing with
our brothers and sisters in faith like Jesus taught.
It will be hard to be away for so
long, but I have such high hopes and excitement for what the rest of my time
here might mean. I have gotten to
reconnect with so many people already and it has been incredible to see how
meaningful it has been to the ministry partners and several of the friends I
made last year that I have been able to return so soon. These people are so used to short-term teams
coming in and out that when they get to reconnect with familiar faces it
obviously means the world to them that people made the effort to return and
invest. When people remember me and get
excited that I am back I love getting to share with them that I will be here
for a few more months and cant wait to get to know them more. The ministry partners have already been
pulling me in more and started calling me “Handy Andy”. I have gotten to connect a lot more with
Mxolisi and Sanele, two of the ministry partners from last year, and an 18 year-old boy named Muzi I got to know last year as well. I hope all of those relationships turn into
close friendships throughout the rest of the summer. They are all incredible people and I am
deeply encouraged by each of their faith.
Please be praying consistently for
me and asking God that I would have a continuous heart of humility, passion,
and service to reach out to the Swazi people here and the many teams I will
have the opportunity to interact with throughout the summer. God has overwhelming been laying the theme on
my heart that He is faithful. Please be
praying that I continue to recognize and hold to that throughout my time
here. Pray against sickness on our team
as a few students and our team leader Ben each came down with a stomach cramp
flu for a few days—most of them have recovered by now, but please pray against
any further sickness. Also please be
praying for the desperate situations that many of the locals here are living
in—that God would show Himself to be faithful to these people and that He would
make His presence and glory known in miraculous and redemptive ways.
In Christ,
Andy
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