Enough in Swazi

Hello from Manzini!

So we’ve traveled north in Africa from South Africa to Swaziland (or now Eswatini because a few years back the king decided he wanted to change the name of his country).
Swaziland is a lush and green land of rolling hills and mountains, cattle, and round thatched roof huts…

Yesterday we had the amazing opportunity to go on a safari and see some majestic creatures. We literally followed in the footsteps of two male lions as they walked down the dirt road patrolling their territory. We were less than 20 feet from them and my heart was beating an extra few beats faster than normal!

We moved into a cute and cozy little home. All 10 of us are now getting an even more intimate experience of community living 🙂

Our schedule looks like Monday: ATL (ask the Lord) ministry in the city of Manzini. We pray and follow the Spirits lead with individuals that we meet and interact with. Our heart is to be the light and love of Jesus to all come into contact with us.

Then Tuesday through Thursday: We go to the local Adventures in Missions Care point where 447 kids come daily after school for a meal and discipleship… and of course to hang out with the American Missionary visitors!

The first day at the care point felt like mass chaos with all the excitement and the sheer mass of kids that showed up. Honestly there was a little of that testing the boundaries just to see how we would respond and what they could get away with. This culture is blunt! We joked as a team about how the kids at the care point didn’t go through a “cultural sensitivity” class before we arrived to learn how to NOT be offensive to the Americans lol. But each day we’ve been building relationships deeper and reminding each other that we are the hands and feet of Jesus and the way we respond and love and care shows who Jesus is! We are here to love on these kids and bring a fun and peaceful environment that they want to come to so that they can learn about Jesus and continue to grow and be discipled in their faith.

Like I said there is almost 500 kids who come, and no joke most of their names have like 15 syllables in them with a combination of click sounds and unfamiliar slurs that my mouth cant seem to form. So sadly I have no idea what they are saying when they try to tell me their name. But the cool thing is that almost all of their names have meaning, and they know what their names mean, so at least I can get that! I’ve started giving them nicknames so I can personally address them.

I’ve learned my favorite little boys’ name, yes I kinda have a favorite 🙂 He is such a lover and always wants to be close. I sing to him (and the other kids) and he will show his appreciation with a big smile as he caresses my face or rubs my hair. At first I just identified him by the yellow shirt and red shorts he wears every single day. But I’ve learned his name is Kwanele (Gwa-nel-lee), which means “enough”… because he’s the last kid in his family. He’s only 3, but he comes to the care point each day dragging his bowl for his portion, and a stick for the cooks fire.

Enough. It might be the same meal, and the only meal, each day but its enough. Just like my little buddy in the yellow shirt says with his name. Enough is enough. And isn’t that quite the lesson for us all to get.
Being on the mission field away from some of the excess we are used to in America teaches us this lesson all the more. What we have here may not be as much as we are used to, but its enough.
Jesus is my portion and He is more than enough no matter what life my bring!

I’ve also got to give a huge shout out to the ladies who cook in the big pots in the scorching sun and extra heat from the fires they keep going to feed the masses of children who come every day. The reality is that this is the only meal that a lot of these kids get everyday. They bring their bowl, or book, or borrow a plate from a friend after they’ve finished to get their massive pile of Pap (a corn, rice, carrot, and soy mix).

1Timothy 6:6 “But Godliness with contentment is great gain”.