It's a Friday. We're headed into the weekend, and we just hit our "100th Day in Swaziland" yesterday. We're just about to four months. Incredible.
Fact: Things are just as good as they seem. We're adjusting really well, but obviously God knew what He was doing when he began to stir this in our hearts. We had years and years of preparation leading up to this, although we had no idea that Africa was in our future.
Fact: Yes, we're hitting little walls here and there, as we knew we would. Steph has wondered about the significance of his role in the grand scheme of things. The kiddies, although loving it here, miss "America" as they refer to it -- family, friends, and Bambino. They struggle to see their roles in all of this. And I feel the isolation of being a stay-at-home mommy -- times ten. The amazing network of loved ones around me I once had has been limited and left half a world away. It's like we inhabit two worlds -- the African world in which we're a part of, and the world at home that keeps going on without us. That can be tough.
The BIGGEST Fact: We're learning that we need to lean on Him more than ever before. We know that He is the one to whom we should run. There are times, like yesterday, that I just longed to be so close to Him. I was feeling worn down, a little empty, and the kiddies were feeling the same. We needed a change of scenery. A CarePoint is one of the places where you can't get much closer to Jesus. It's His very heart. And so, we called Steph, packed up the car, met at Nando's for a quick ice cream date, and drove to Mvutjini.
We arrived just before feeding time. Before they begin to "dish", the children sing and pray, and then line up for food. They are fed youngest to oldest.
There were at least 150 there for their Feed My Starving Children meal. Because we're new to Mvutjini and Madonsa (our other CarePoint), we're still getting to know the children and recognizing them on repeat visits. But, this little one mesmerized us. She is five years old and has the most amazing giggle, especially when Steph would wink at her.
Steph desperately wanted a hug -- can't you tell by his expression? She wasn't sure about him at first, but she warmed up quickly. She was also very protective of her food!
Ellie and one of her sweet buddies. The kiddies already have "regulars" there that they play with, but there are always new friends to meet. The children are encouraged to attend the CarePoint every day, but they are often needed at the homesteads to clean, work, care for younger siblings, and help with chicken, goats and livestock. It's always fun when the kiddies find a new instant friend -- like this sweetie.
As missionaries who oversee a CarePoint, we not only love on the kids, but we also love on the facilitators and bomake (volunteer cooks). After feeding time, we spent time with the women, and one of the bomake was teaching me a little Siswati. After visiting a little bit, she said, "Sisi, come with me. I would like to talk to you." We walked around the back of the building.
She shared with me that she has many grandchildren (therefore, she is a "gogo") by her son, but he has never been married. He is having children in many different parts of the country and abandoning them. And, because she is a typical Swazi gogo, she becomes responsible for the mess he has left behind. He is her only son, age 35, and what sporadic income he does bring in, he spends it on alcohol and drugs. Gogo was obviously heartbroken about his situation and the children he has fathered.
I wasn't sure where the conversation was headed, but I would have placed bets that she was going to ask me for money so that she could provide for them. She earns no money cooking at Mvutjini, but because of her declining health she cannot hold a job. As we talked, I asked if her son knew Jesus, and she said that he didn't. This beautiful woman wasn't asking for a handout, but rather she was asking for prayer. She wrote her only child's name down for me so that we could lift him up -- so that he can know Jesus.
We prayed for Thulane... for his heart. We prayed for his children, for provision, and that their needs would be met. What was amazing to me was that this sweet gogo, born and raised in Swaziland, and now raising her grandchildren, gets it. Above the sickness, the poverty, destitute conditions, and hurt, there is something much greater. That something is JESUS.
Would you please pray for Thulane Fakude... and for the millions of others like Thulane all over the world? Jesus is greater.
