Right now there is a boy named Siyabonga staying at our house (this is the boy I've blogged about before and posted a picture.) He and two other boys came over on Friday, from my care point and stayed until Sunday. I brought them to church this Sunday and to return them to their families. Something I've been very concerned about for the past several weeks is Siyabonga's grandmother beating him. About a month ago while I was holding him I noticed a bunch of scars on his back and even some on his stomach and chest. I asked Thulie, the woman I help teach about them and she said it's from his grandmother beating him. Siyagbonga was "adopted" from a town about twenty minutes away from Manzini when he was younger. When I say adopted I mean he was more or less just given to her to take care of because his biological parents weren't capable to taking care of him before and culturally Swazis always take in other children where there is a need and no legal action is needed if they don't leave the country, which never really happens because most Swazis are very poor. Anyhow Thulie also told me that this adopted grandmother's only interest with taking him in was that his father sometimes comes around and gives money for Siyabonga. And other than that she doesn't really care about him, I was also told that she drinks a lot and gets angry when she's drunk. When he came over on Friday and I was going to give him a bath he showed me a new wound on his leg and told me that she had beat him the day before. So when I was bringing him home today there was no one at his homestead and he also started to cry really hard, all day he'd been saying that he didn't want to go home to his grandmother because he's scared of her. So as I was asking him questions through a translator, trying to decide what to do, and silently praying about the situation, both the two Swazi women I was with and I decided it would be best if he came with me that night. And I just couldn't leave him there not knowing what would happen to him that night. As I rode home I was really overwhelmed and confused for a number of reasons. 1. I didn't want to be mistaken or even fooled about the situation. As in he may be crying and saying that just so I would take him back to my house, because the way I live is much better than the way he lives, why wouldn't he want to come back? I just want my concern to be real and legitiment.
2. I have to leave him at his homestead sometime, I'm leaving the country on May 9th. I don't want to make him even more attatched to me and my friends which would only make it harder for him to return home.
3. I've had three little 4 and 5 year olds over all weekend, I'm tired. I have plans tomorrow... if I bring him home again I'll have to worry about him all day. And I'll never get time to myself.
As I'm thinking each of these thoughts over and over, just being overwhelmed and trying to hide my tears on public transportation I heard very clearly the Lord speaking to me... Bailey, don't worry about any of that. Don't let any of those thoughts stop you from doing what I tell you. If you do, that's not being moved to compassion. Being moved to compassion is giving of yourself sacraficially, not just giving. Doing whatever it takes to serve Me and My children that I love so much, and therefore, that you love so much.
Please pray for this situation. Pray that God would give me wisdom and guide me in what to do. Pray that doors would open up and we would be able to put Siyabonga with another family that will take care of him and love him. Ask that He would be in total control of this situation. That He would give me peace of mind and help me make the right decisions for this young boy.
This past week there was a little girl at the care point, Bhobokazi, named Nokwethu had sores all over her little body. Even her butt was covered. I see this often, and it's often caused by worms infestation or scabies, but her case was extreme. So Kate, my leader, picked her up from the care point and we took her to a pharmacy, and the doctor perscribed her an anti biotic and some other medicines. Her cousin, Simphiwe, who is about 14 also came with us to help her feel more comfortable. We took them to KFC (which is a really big dealhere!) for their first time! They also came over to our house for just an hour or so and Simphiwe got to takeher first shower! Maybe we should soak that in, that this girl who is 14 years old, has never seen running water inside a house... she has never eaten at a fast food resturaunt. And she's only one of many many children like that. It's not sad for her, I think it's sad for us, the western world... myself included.
I can't believe how the days are just dwindling down with my time left. I'm very excited to return home and to testify to what the Lord has done!
This past week for family ministry
on Saturday we went to the other care point I work at in Bhobokazi. We did
something very similar to what we did at Timbutini, but without the bounce
house, music, and slip and slide because there is no electricity there and also
not very much room. We had face painting, bobbing for apples, we made noodle
necklaces, water balloon toss, relay races, and the limbo! I know the kids
really enjoyed it. We also presented the gospel to them, and I pray that it was
affective, and even if those kids never remember my name, it's okay I pray they
will remember the name of Who I serve. I told them why I was there, only
because of Jesus, and because He told me to go and to love them and be friends
with them.
We're coming down to just about the
last month here. I can't believe this long journey is almost coming to a close.
Please pray that the Lord would continue to transform me on this trip. And that
he would work in and through me for His Kingdom.
Last weekend I had two little boys from my care point in Timbutini over to our house for the weekend. Their names are Siyabonga and Sbura. Siyabonga is about 5 years old, lives with a gogo that "adopted" him (and by adopted I mean she took him in because his biological parents weren't capable of caring for him... that's just how the Swazi culture works.) Sbura is about 3 years old and lives with his mother who also cooks at the care point, so I know her pretty well. When they came over they got more hugs, kisses, and tickles than they could handle from my team. Little Sbura seemed a little overwhelmed the first night but was more comfortable the next day. They got lots of new clothes, most of them were donated from America by one of my team mate's parents who came to stay with us for a week. I took them into town and we ate at KFC and they got ice cream. I later found out that this was Siyabonga's first time there! I can't even imagine what have must been going through his little mind. They also got two bubbles bathes in our really big tub, which they seemed to love as well. It was tiring looking after both of them the whole weekend, but well worth it. It was so nice to bless them like that, and in the end I know they've blessed me more than I've blessed them.
Just this Saturday, two days ago, we had family ministry at my care point in Timbutini. My team mate, Erin, teaches grade 1 at a school close to the care point, so this day was also for her kids to come because most of them live in the area. It was like a big carnival with a bounce house, face painting, balloon animals, music, ring toss, bobbing for apples, cake walk (but with candy instead) crafts for making necklaces. We had well over 100 kids show up!!! It was so great! We first split the children into teams and did stations for the first hour or so, switching every ten minutes so they would get a chance to do everything. Then we presented the gospel, two of my friends did an awesome job with that. Then we handed out hot dogs (which by the way, no Swazis have ever heard of) and ice pops. Then we had kind of free time that was mostly the bounce house and slip and slide! It was so fun and I know the kids really enjoyed themselves.
This past week I was asked by Thulie, the lady I help teach with at the care point, to go and pray for a man who was very sick. This man is named Sabi and in his mid thirties. He lives on a homestead by himself and apparently had not been eating for a few days by the time Thulie found out about his condition. No one in his family really cares about him, and say that because he's in his thirties he should be able to care for himself, but he's very sick. He was basically unresponsive and when he tried to speak it was very hard for him, he was very weak and couldn't even feed himself. The next day my leader was able to drive out there and we took him to a phsyciatric hospital where we sat most of the day, when they were able to sit with him, we were told he had to go to a regular medical hospital to get a drip, and also to be referred to this hospital by a doctor. So he went to the main hospital in Manzini, where he stayed over night in the emergency room. This hospital is awful and any American would be disgusted at the injustice that is shown here. The next morning the doctors told us we should take him back to the phsyciatric hospital. So we wheeled him there in a wheelchair, because we had no other name. We waited a few hours again at this hospital and finally the doctor was able to see him. When the doctor was able to evaluate him and his condition, Thulie and I were told that he could not be admitted "in his condition" and my first thoughts were, "What do you mean? He's here becuase he's in this condition!" But because he's basically unresponsive and so weak, if he needed to fight of any of the violent patients he wouldn't be able to defend himself. Well, me being a sinner that needs grace daily, became fustrated and very stressed at this point. Now he has to be trasnported back to his home in the rural area and now has medicine that he must take everyday. Thulie told me not to worry, that we must accept things as they come, and trust in God that He will heal Sabi. And at that point I didn't want to hear that, I just wanted to be angry at this sad situation, because that's the easy thing to do. But later, even the next day, as I prayed for the situation, God told me that Thulie was so right. He also convicted me of not trusting Him fully and allowing Him to guide my life. He was telling me that Thulie was not stressing because she trusts Him and knows that He knows what He's doing. I've learned so much from this awesome woman of God. She is a widow mother with four children, sick herself, and now is going to Sabi's house everyday, twice or three times a day, to cook for him and give him medicine. Talk about living like Jesus. We can all learn something from this woman. I haven't been able to visit Sabi the past two days but I've been told he's getting stronger and seems to be doing better. Please pray for this situation and that the Lord would have compassion on His son and heal him.
There seems to be problems with my recieving mail from any of you in the states. Here is my address again, just to make sure there are no mistakes in the one you may have:
Yesterday I was praying that God would teach me something. I felt like it had been a while since He ministered straight to my heart and spoke to me. So I continued to pray and the Lord convicted me of times in the past and even the present when I've felt weird and been timid to talk about God in front of people who aren't Christians, and also people who've seen me blatantly live in sin. When I say weird, I'm really just trying to get around the fact that I even felt embarassed and ashamed. You see, I gave my life to Christ when I was fifteen, the summer before my sophomore year. And that's when I thought I had changed my life. But shortly after each mission trip I would come down from my spiritual high, let life happen and would fall away from Him. It's easy to fall away from the Lord when you're not serious about living for Him, when you're not focused on Him and seeking His kingdom first. So I went to church on Sundays, went on church retreats, mission trips, was involved in youth group and other things a good christian should do, but I was still choosing to walk and live in sin, away from church. Now don't get me wrong, it wasn't all fake... I loved the Lord, I really and truly loved Him. That's because He created me to worship Him, and I knew in my soul that all I really wanted to do in life was grow closer to Him. But I was selfish. The bible says we must die to ourselves, and pick up our crosses daily and follow Him. And because I told people that I loved God but still sinned in many ways, some in secret, some publicly... I developed this fear that if I shared my faith with someone who knows about sins that I've commited, they would judge me. If they find out how much I love Jesus they may look at me differently, laugh at me, talk about me behind my back. But the Lord is saying to me, " OF COURSE THEY WILL!
I TOLD YOU THAT BECAUSE I WAS PERSECUTED, YOU WILL ALSO BE PERSECUTED!"
In Matthew 10:16-20 Jesus is talking about sending out his disciples to preach the word. He says this, " Look, I'm sending you out as sheeps among wolves so be as shrewd as snakes and as harmless as doves. But beware! For you will be handed over in the courts and will be flogged with whips in the synagogues. You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my followers. But this will be your opportunity to tell the rulers and other unbelievers about me. When you are arrested, don't worry about how to respond or what to say, God will give you the right words at the right time. For it is not you who will be speaking - it will be the Spirirt of your Father speaking through you."
Luke 21:16-20 "Even those closest to you - your parents, brothers, relatives, and friends - will betray you. They will even kill some of you. And everyone will hate you because you are my followers. But not a hair on you head will perish! By standing firm, you will win your souls."
God has revealed to me that this EXACTLY what I need to share with the world. Exactly what I need to let everyone see. Let them see the change and transformation in me that only comes from the Lord. This is my story, it's the truth, it's my salvation, and it has to be shared no matter the cost.
How selfish am I to be worried about some people judging me, what they might say about me when I'm not around, when Jesus Christ was denied and rejected by so many people only to be beaten and hung on a cross to die, all for God? That's something to really think about. Really meditate on and let it get deep into your soul. It's easy for me to type this up and post it on the internet for the whole world to read. But it takes real courage to be able to share your faith with those you're scared to share with and those closest to you. Who've seen all your ways, good and bad, who can hold you accountable for a lot of things you've done in your life.
I hope everyone who's reading this had a good Easter. Mine was very nice. Interesting, but nice. We all went out to a rural area called Nsoko. We don't go there very often because it takes over an hour in the car and it costs too much to take public transportation out there. It was raining very hard that morning (which is very unusual for Swaziland) and when we got to where the service was held, we discovered that all the land we had to walk on was no extremely muddy. It was so funny because here we all are dressed in our Sunday best, walking through mud up to our ankles! It was everywhere and eventually we weren't worried about the mud on our feet just trying to be careful not to fall, because that would make this situation all the worse. Just another funny memory to take home with me! Anyhow a man named Gary Black has lived here in Swaziland with his family from America for about the last year. He is opening a community sort of thing for the community there. It will consist of a care point, a market for women to work in front, housing for orphans, fields to plant crops also for people to have work and sustain themselves, also fun things like basketball courts and soccer fields. As of right now they only have a couple building. But Easter Sunday they had a big service that was sort of the opening of this community and the blessing of the pastor. They plan to have several of these throughout Swaziland in the future. Andrew Shearman, a pastor from America, who also spoke at the training camp I went to in September came and spoke several times this week. He gave a sermon at the service and it was really good. Just encouraging the Swazi people to become strong Christians who won't negotiate with hell. Not baby Christians that are lukewarm and only try to look holy on Sundays.
This week we were told that we have something ridiculous like only six weeks left of ministry, and that our last day of ministry will be May 7th. It's weird to hear that and actually recognized that I'm in the ending times of my time in Swaziland. And to be honest, it makes me very sad. Now don't get me wrong, I'm definitely looking forward to coming home and seeing all my family and friends, but I am going to really miss the new friends I've made here. The Lord has given me such a heart of compassion for the kids I work with at Timbutini. I mean I really really love those kids, I don't want to have to think of May 7th. I think I've actually had a little idea of what it's like to have your own children and to love them so much with everything you have. I don't want to leave them.
Please continue to pray for the situation I blogged about last week. It was decided last week that the government would work for two weeks try to negotiate something by this Friday, the 28th and if nothing is resolved the workers will strike again. I believe the factory workers' pay has been increased by 10% but other Swazis are still concerned that won't have fixed the problem completely and there still may be strikes. Just pray that the Lord would reign over this situation, and that He would bring peace. But mostly, that His will would be done.
This week for family ministry we all went to a care point that two of my team mates, Ashley and Lindsey, teach at. We did a fun day for all the kids and ladies there. We had face painting, balloons, bubbles, cookies, relay races, games, some of my team mates also did a drama and lesson from the bible. It was great and I think all the kids definitely enjoyed it more than we did.
Two days ago I went to church in Timbutini (also the carepoint where I teach) It was a really great and refreshing service. Dennis, a missionary living here from America, gave a sermon. His sermon was so good and just what I needed. It's so easy to become drained while on the mission field in another country, mostly because they have entirely different theology than we do, and they don't speak english... sure there's a translator but most the time they're yelling over each other and it's hard to understand them. His sermon was mainly for the youth. At one point in his sermon he was talking about how the Lord just really spoke to him about the children in Timbutini. Every Sunday the church is packed, mostly with kids.The kids continue to come to church because at church they feel loved. He was telling us how God told him that He was busy raising up these children to be the leaders of Swaziland. That even though some people look at particular situations in Swaziland and just say, "Hey, that is just how Swazi is, it's never going to change." or, "That's just how that person is, they're never going to change." The Lord looks upon His children with eyes of potential of what we can become. He doesn't look at us as what we're now, but what He will make us. He just encouraged the church that the Lord is looking at all of them with potential and is planning great things.
Please continue to pray for the Kingdom of Swaziland. Pray that the Lord truly would be busy raising up men and women to save their own country that is commiting suicide. Pray that the people would know that this whole Christian thing, church thing, God thing would be so much more than a religion. Pray that it would become real to them, it would become something that could and will save their lives. Pray that they would long to know God and live a life getting to know Him. Why am I only telling you to pray for Swaziland? The whole world needs this prayer. I need this prayer.
* This morning before I came to the internet, I was informed that the public transportation in Manzini was on strike. The employers at a factory in a nearby city went on strike a few weeks ago because they were not being payed fairly. Instead of fixing the problem, the factory just fired all the people. And because all these people are unemployed, several kumbies (the public transportation) have lost a lot of business because they're no longer going to work. In a joint effort to have the people rehired with better pay, all the public transportation has gone on strike and are refusing to take anyone anywhere. This is in efforts to get the government's attention, especially the King's. Please pray about this situation. If this problem doesn't become fixed soon we will run into bigger problems that we do not want to face. Please pray that God would hear our concern and reign over this situation.
Right now we are at Alabanza in South Africa for a four day prayer retreat. By the time we go back to Swazi on Monday it will be the half way mark of our trip! I couldn't believe it when someone brought it to my attention.
So I want to continue on the story about the baby Moses that I blogged about last week. The team brought him to the hospital and was admitted on Monday. Two girls from my team stayed with him all night and he died on Tuesday morning around 5am. Most people took it really hard. It's so difficult to even begin to try and understand why God would allow this to happen. Why would He allow the World Race team to save this baby after he starved for it's first month of life only to go and die after they didn't even have him for two weeks? If He is a God that makes the blind see, the lame walk, surely He is capable of saving this baby. Of course He is capable, He can do anything He wants! So why wouldn't He just do a miracle and allow this baby to survive? The truth is that there are many things in this world that we're just not meant to know. Maybe He knew that Moses was HIV positive and would have TB and would live a life of only suffering, and in the long run was saving him. We could guess or make up reasons as to why we believe the Lord would allow him to die, but that won't change the fact that Moses did die. He's gone and we'll all have to accept it. It sucks, and we all know it. The world is a terrible place and this is only one story that proves it. Terrible and evil things happen all the time all over the world. But the Lord requires us to praise Him no matter what. He is a good God that deserves our worship no matter the circumstance - in good and bad times. Everything is in His timing and is beyond our understanding. His plan is perfect and He knows what we want even more than we know what we want. Trust Him that even when we can't see why things go the way they do that He knows what He's doing. And He's doing it for His glory.
SiSwati for this week:
*All vowels are the same as in Spanish
What is your name? - Ungibani ligama lakho? (Un gi (as in geese) bani lee gamma lacko)
This past week we had two birthdays in the house. We celebrated as a big family on Thursday night with lots of Fanta (their favorite drinks) cake, ice cream, balloons, streamers, food, music and games! It was just a great night altogether.
The World Race team (an AIM team that travels to 10 countries in 11 months) is in Swaziland right now and are staying with us. They've kind of taken in this little baby and are nursing it back to health. This baby was born about six weeks ago from a mother with AIDS and Tuberculosis. He was carried to full term and wieghed about four pounds when he was born. The mother was all dried up and couldn't breast feed, she has no money, and is so tired and sick she couldn't take care of him. So for the baby's first month of life he starved. It's only by the work of God that he is alive to this day. The team found out about this situation and the mother gave them permission to take the baby and care for it just for now. They don't know if the baby is HIV postive or has TB because he's too little to be tested. If the mother gets better than they'll give the baby back, but most likely they'll ask the mother to sign adoption papers so they can put the baby in an orphanage. Please keep this situation in your prayers. It's the very most we can all do, prayer is very powerful. The very sad part of this story is there are tons of other stories just like all over the world. Let us pray on the behalf of those babies and mothers in the world.
My ministry has been going really well. God has seemed to change my ministry at Bhobogazi from focusing on children and teaching them, to just becoming friends wiIth school aged children, about 14 to 18 year olds. I'm planning on being there when they come after school and just getting to know them, playing their Siswati singing games that they LOVE to play. It's seemed to make this change gradually because it's been very inconsistant with children coming in the mornings for me to teach. I've been praying about a new building or at least shade stucture being built at this care point. They have a small tree for shade and only two mats to sit on... there's usually about 35 to 50 kids there. The kids who come after school walk about 5 kilometers (or about 3 miles) around 1pm in the hot sun to get food. I see the need for some type of shade for them, water for them to drink, and a place to play games and hang out after school. I'm looking into talking with the couple that are in charge of things like this for carepoints and seeing what it looks like to try to get money for this building project. There is a church in America that supports this care point through Children's Hope Chest. I would appreciate your prayers for this very much. Please pray that the Lord would provide for the mothers and children at this care point. Please pray that they would know and be encouraged by knowing that they are not forgotten, that the Lord has sent me to be with them because He cares for them and has not forgotten them.
SiSwati for this week:
How are you (to one) -Unjani?
How are you (to many) - Ninjani?
Response (if you're one) - Ngi Yahila (knee ya peela)
Response (if you're more than one) - Si Yaphila (see ya peela)
This week
I've been able to go to Bhobogazi (the care point that I've had trouble getting
started at) with our new translator who lives in our house. It's been such a
HUGE blessing to go with a translator because now I can figure out what is
going on...like why the women haven't been there to cook everyday, and if they
do come it's only in the afternoons and not in the mornings. It's because they
didn't have water, so we got that sorted out and had their tank filled. Last
week when I was out at Bhobogazi I asked the kids if anyone had any scrapes or
cuts they wanted me to look at and a little boy came up to me with a pretty
deep cut on the bottom of his foot. He had no shoes on and no bandage, just
walking around barefoot in the dirt. So I did the best I could to clean it up
(using gloves... for those concerned) and bandage it up. He told our translator
that he didn't own a pair of shoes. So the next week I came with a pair of flip
flops praying that his foot would be protected for that week because I knew he wasn't
going to keep the bandage on for very long. So we went to his homestead and
when I looked at the bottom of his foot... the cut was almost completely
healed! It was so incredible... I couldn't believe that this was the same boy.
God is so amazing. So I just cleaned it up once more, put a band aid on it, and
gave him the shoes. Which he loved and was so grateful to receive.
Recently God has continued to put
someone on my heart. Every time I'm praying I always feel like praying for this
certain person. It's come to the point where I even feel very burdened with
this person. I've even found myself crying for them very often and just feeling
very passionate about their life and relationship with Him. I often find myself
praying things for this person that I never really would have thought of
praying for them unless the holy spirit was leading me. I've also felt like the
Lord really wants me to be steadfast in praying for this person, being their
prayer warrior. I talked to one of my team mates about this and she explained
to me that this is intercessory prayer. I've definitely heard about intercessory and even learned about it but never really known what it is or how
it works. It's been great so far and I plan to continue to fight for this
person in prayer. I think sometimes we tend to get so caught up in praying for
ourselves. When we do come to God, we come and just unload on Him, just vent.
Tell Him about all our problems, what's wrong and how, and ask Him to fix it.
Let me be the first to tell you that I am more than guilty of this. I think
it's okay sometimes, I mean He's a huge God and can definitely handle our
complaints and everything we think is such a big deal. But if we're really in
this thing for the relationship, we have to communicate. Which consists of both
participants talking and listening. We can't forget to be quiet sometimes when
we're with Him. Be still and know that He is God. Listen to Him, ask Him if He
has anything He'd like you to pray back to Him.
I want to start doing something for
those back home. Every week I'm going to give you a new Siswati word of phrase.
