Wednesday, May 27, 2009
A Prayer
Lord, give me wisdom. Let me be Your light and Your love to the hurting and hopeless. May my smile, my handshake, my hug, my touch bring life and comfort. Bring Your Word, Your Truth, Your Wisdom, Your Love to the people of Hawane. In You they will not only have life, they will have it more abundantly. In You they will have hope and love. As they love You, they will learn to love the people around them, helping one another and working together. Show them what a blessing it is to give, and as they begin to give bless them abundantly. Renew their minds, through Your Spirit, that they may see the world through eyes that know victory and richness in You. May You be their God, and they Your people. Let them shout from the mountain tops “Jesus is Lord!” Thank You that You desire to know the people here more than I desire for them to know You. You hear their cries and their prayers, and Your ear turns towards them. You see them, You know them, and You love them. Christ, You died for them and You are worthy to receive the reward of Your sacrifice…their lives. Be glorified in me, in these people, and in this place!!
Monday, May 25, 2009
What do you do?
What do you do?
What do you do when you meet a grandmother who is taking care of 16 children?
What do you do if they have no garden, half their houses don’t have roofs, the water coming in the pipes from the mountain stops during the dry season, they can’t pay for school fees, and they don’t have the clothes they need?
What do you do when a woman says that demons attack her, giving her hallucinations of people she knows, so that her friends have to spend the day with her and help her care for her children?
What do you do when a mother asks for help with her oldest children because her current husband is not their father and he will not help provide for them as his own?
What do you do when the only thing a family has to eat is a corn meal porridge and leaves they pick out of the field?
What do you do when nobody has food, and none of them have the money to start a garden and put up fences?
What do you do when it is 40 degrees at night and you know that up on the mountain are children, parents, and grandparents sleeping in mud and stick homes without the clothes and blankets they need to keep warm?
What do you do when you know these are just the beginning of the problems, when you know that just up the road and around the corner are people who are abused, neglected, hurting, and dying?
What do you do?
What do you do when you meet a grandmother who is taking care of 16 children?
What do you do if they have no garden, half their houses don’t have roofs, the water coming in the pipes from the mountain stops during the dry season, they can’t pay for school fees, and they don’t have the clothes they need?
What do you do when a woman says that demons attack her, giving her hallucinations of people she knows, so that her friends have to spend the day with her and help her care for her children?
What do you do when a mother asks for help with her oldest children because her current husband is not their father and he will not help provide for them as his own?
What do you do when the only thing a family has to eat is a corn meal porridge and leaves they pick out of the field?
What do you do when nobody has food, and none of them have the money to start a garden and put up fences?
What do you do when it is 40 degrees at night and you know that up on the mountain are children, parents, and grandparents sleeping in mud and stick homes without the clothes and blankets they need to keep warm?
What do you do when you know these are just the beginning of the problems, when you know that just up the road and around the corner are people who are abused, neglected, hurting, and dying?
What do you do?
My successes...
For those of you who really know me well, you know that I like to cook and bake. In fact, one of my favorite things to do is to cook or bake for other people. So when I was told before coming to Swaziland not to get my hopes up to high about doing either of these, I was pretty disappointed. I mean, how can I move somewhere new and not bake a cheesecake for people?
Today, I have one thing to say "Fear not!" Yes, that is right, I am mastering the skill of cooking and baking in Swaziland. To date my accomplishments include:
hummus
chicken shawarma
tortillas
tacos
honey ginger stir fry
pizza
chocolate chip cookies
brownies
peanut butter chocolate cheesecake
I have decided that even if I were living in a mud and stick home, I would probably work out some way of being able to bake and cook. I have even imagined my lovely mud oven!!!
Today, I have one thing to say "Fear not!" Yes, that is right, I am mastering the skill of cooking and baking in Swaziland. To date my accomplishments include:
hummus
chicken shawarma
tortillas
tacos
honey ginger stir fry
pizza
chocolate chip cookies
brownies
peanut butter chocolate cheesecake
I have decided that even if I were living in a mud and stick home, I would probably work out some way of being able to bake and cook. I have even imagined my lovely mud oven!!!
Monday, May 18, 2009
Foxes and Birds
One of my main responsibilities here in Swaziland is to go into the community around Hawane CLC to meet the people and map out the land. I am so excited about the prospect of what this work can do to bring spiritual and physical hope to the people of Hawane. It is hard to help people when you do not know their needs, but as we go from homestead to homestead we will be able to see the specific needs of the people. We can meet their physical needs and help them focus on their spiritual needs and the One who can fulfill all their needs. What an honor that God chooses us to be a part of His work!!
One day, just over a week ago, we were visiting an old sick gogo. This gogo was too weak to get out of bed in order to come outside to visit with us, so we entered into her home. As I sat there, I looked around me at the inside of the simple mud and stick home. Through the door to my left, in the only other room in the home, was her grandson doing his school work in the kitchen. There was a wood burning stove that was warming the house and filling it with smoke, a sink with dirty dishes, and some small cabinets. In the room in which we were sitting, there were three beds, one for the gogo and one each for two of her grandsons that stayed in that home with her. In the corner were bags of clothes and blankets. There was one shelf unit, no dressers, no closet. The only window to the room was boarded up, and the walls, ceilings, and even mattresses were black from a previous fire. There was no electricity, no running water, no toilet. I couldn’t help but feel compassion for the gogo and her family; they were living a hard life.
As I looked around though, I could see the simple beauty in the home structure. I looked at the walls around me and the ceiling above me and thought “I could live in a mud and stick hut.” Throughout the past week, I have dwelt on that thought. I would want to have the kitchen in a separate structure like many Swazis do, and I would probably have to construct myself some sort of storage unit for the blankets and winter clothes. I have thought about having to fetch water and boil it to make sure it was clean, growing my own vegetable garden, having to kill and clean a chicken, digging a toilet, and how I would rig a bit of a shower for myself to feel clean. To be honest, the more I think about it, the more appealing it is to me. Not to say that it would be easy by any means and it would definitely have to be a calling from God, but I know that if He called me to it, I could do it.
Living in the US, we have access to almost anything we could want. Most of us have a source of income, running water, electricity, heat, either a fan or air conditioning, and enough food. We sometimes forget what a blessing the simple things that we take for granted are. Worst yet, sometimes we worry too much about the things that we “need” that we don’t have. Often these are the snares that keep us from following God with our everything.
Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." (Matthew 8:19-20) God may never ask you to move to Africa to live in a mud and stick hut, He may never even ask you to leave the US, but He is asking you to follow Him with everything in you, leaving all else behind. Don’t let the things of this world get in your way, keeping you from experiencing the great blessings that God has ready to pour out over you. This is my goal.
One day, just over a week ago, we were visiting an old sick gogo. This gogo was too weak to get out of bed in order to come outside to visit with us, so we entered into her home. As I sat there, I looked around me at the inside of the simple mud and stick home. Through the door to my left, in the only other room in the home, was her grandson doing his school work in the kitchen. There was a wood burning stove that was warming the house and filling it with smoke, a sink with dirty dishes, and some small cabinets. In the room in which we were sitting, there were three beds, one for the gogo and one each for two of her grandsons that stayed in that home with her. In the corner were bags of clothes and blankets. There was one shelf unit, no dressers, no closet. The only window to the room was boarded up, and the walls, ceilings, and even mattresses were black from a previous fire. There was no electricity, no running water, no toilet. I couldn’t help but feel compassion for the gogo and her family; they were living a hard life.
As I looked around though, I could see the simple beauty in the home structure. I looked at the walls around me and the ceiling above me and thought “I could live in a mud and stick hut.” Throughout the past week, I have dwelt on that thought. I would want to have the kitchen in a separate structure like many Swazis do, and I would probably have to construct myself some sort of storage unit for the blankets and winter clothes. I have thought about having to fetch water and boil it to make sure it was clean, growing my own vegetable garden, having to kill and clean a chicken, digging a toilet, and how I would rig a bit of a shower for myself to feel clean. To be honest, the more I think about it, the more appealing it is to me. Not to say that it would be easy by any means and it would definitely have to be a calling from God, but I know that if He called me to it, I could do it.
Living in the US, we have access to almost anything we could want. Most of us have a source of income, running water, electricity, heat, either a fan or air conditioning, and enough food. We sometimes forget what a blessing the simple things that we take for granted are. Worst yet, sometimes we worry too much about the things that we “need” that we don’t have. Often these are the snares that keep us from following God with our everything.
Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." (Matthew 8:19-20) God may never ask you to move to Africa to live in a mud and stick hut, He may never even ask you to leave the US, but He is asking you to follow Him with everything in you, leaving all else behind. Don’t let the things of this world get in your way, keeping you from experiencing the great blessings that God has ready to pour out over you. This is my goal.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Fun and Games
So I have to admit that sometimes when you are on a missions trip you get to have a little bit of fun and play games. How can you not when you live in the same place as 46 kids?!? Here are some of my fun and games experiences:
- Hide and Seek Swazi style: You run and hide but they never really come to seek you because the point is for you to touch the base before the person that is it. So instead of you finding an amazing hiding spot you are just trying to outsmart the person who is it and is standing right in front of the base.
- Red Light Green Light: Yes, the kids of Hawane now know how to play this wonderful American game, even if some of them don't know what a stop light is!
- Phase 10: I brought a deck of Phase 10 cards and Uno cards with me to Swaziland and have thus far gotten to teach two of the homes how to play Phase 10. I will teach more tonight and tomorrow night.
- Julie knows Siswati words: At one of the homesteads there were 4 little kids, only one of which understood my English. So to play with them for a bit I just used my very basic Siswati - run, jump, sit, stand, and stop. We all had quite a fun time!
- Soccer: They love to play it here and the guys keep asking me if I play (I hurt my ankle before coming so have been trying to let it heal before getting too excited on the bumpy field). The guys play games against guys in the surrounding community on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and I am now the unofficial coach. They can all school me with their foot skills and speed, but I know the foundations of technique and tactics. Our first soccer lesson will be next Saturday.
- Phophanyane Falls: Jane (the nurse) and I did get away on Saturday for a bit of a hike at Phophanyane Falls. Unfortunately the water level was low so the falls were only have their normal size, but they were still nice. The hike up and down the mountain around the falls gave us both a great work out, though I think my lungs got the worst of it. I don't have too much trouble with the air up here, but when I start climbing up a mountain I suddenly realize how much less oxygen there is at this altitude compared to low lying Ohio.
Tomorrow we are having a Braai (barbeque) for the Swedish Team that has been here for 3 months and is going home. They are going to teach us a traditional Swedish game, so the fun will continue....
- Hide and Seek Swazi style: You run and hide but they never really come to seek you because the point is for you to touch the base before the person that is it. So instead of you finding an amazing hiding spot you are just trying to outsmart the person who is it and is standing right in front of the base.
- Red Light Green Light: Yes, the kids of Hawane now know how to play this wonderful American game, even if some of them don't know what a stop light is!
- Phase 10: I brought a deck of Phase 10 cards and Uno cards with me to Swaziland and have thus far gotten to teach two of the homes how to play Phase 10. I will teach more tonight and tomorrow night.
- Julie knows Siswati words: At one of the homesteads there were 4 little kids, only one of which understood my English. So to play with them for a bit I just used my very basic Siswati - run, jump, sit, stand, and stop. We all had quite a fun time!
- Soccer: They love to play it here and the guys keep asking me if I play (I hurt my ankle before coming so have been trying to let it heal before getting too excited on the bumpy field). The guys play games against guys in the surrounding community on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and I am now the unofficial coach. They can all school me with their foot skills and speed, but I know the foundations of technique and tactics. Our first soccer lesson will be next Saturday.
- Phophanyane Falls: Jane (the nurse) and I did get away on Saturday for a bit of a hike at Phophanyane Falls. Unfortunately the water level was low so the falls were only have their normal size, but they were still nice. The hike up and down the mountain around the falls gave us both a great work out, though I think my lungs got the worst of it. I don't have too much trouble with the air up here, but when I start climbing up a mountain I suddenly realize how much less oxygen there is at this altitude compared to low lying Ohio.
Tomorrow we are having a Braai (barbeque) for the Swedish Team that has been here for 3 months and is going home. They are going to teach us a traditional Swedish game, so the fun will continue....
Happy Mother's Day!
Happy Mother’s Day! Yesterday I was blessed to celebrate Mother’s Day at Hawane Farm. It was such a wonderful day as we honored the moms. The moms had come together last week to plan a celebration after church with a big meal and some games. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned and instead of eating at 1:00pm, we were all cooking until after 3:00pm. Nobody was fussed about the extra work and it was so fun to stand around a table with the moms pulling the cooked chicken off the bone. I also learned more SiSwati - ngelankile, which means “I am hungry”. When the food was ready, all of the families from Hawane Farm and Hawane CLC enjoyed the meal on the grass together. The moms were then honored as a child from each house told why they appreciate their mom and then gave them a rose. The best part of the day though was when the children gathered around their moms and prayed for them.
The moms here at Hawane are absolutely amazing and deserve all of the recognition that they got yesterday. They are taking care of precious children who need all of the love and caring they can get. The moms work hard and do not often get thanks Please remember to pray for the mothers of Hawane, that God would bless them with strength, wisdom, peace, and love.
The moms here at Hawane are absolutely amazing and deserve all of the recognition that they got yesterday. They are taking care of precious children who need all of the love and caring they can get. The moms work hard and do not often get thanks Please remember to pray for the mothers of Hawane, that God would bless them with strength, wisdom, peace, and love.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Welcome to Swaziland!
Greetings from Swaziland! I have only been in the country for a week, and already I feel like home. The people here at Hawane Farm and Hawane CLC are absolutely beautiful and I have enjoyed starting to meet them all. As my first week ends, I think that my greatest accomplishment is that I can put a name to all but about 5 faces here. With so many children and names so different from what I am used to, this has actually been a task. Some of the younger children do not speak much English, so I have also learned some basic Siswati words that I can use while playing such as sit, stand, run, and stop. Hopefully my grasp of the language will increase as I continue to build relationships with the children and mothers, and as I begin to go out into the community to do outreach.
To answer some of the questions you may have about where I am in Swaziland:
Place - I am staying in the Hospice on Hawane Farm with the nurse here. It is a very nice place, though like all of the homes here there is no insulation so it will begin to get quite cold soon. I have my own room with a bed, table, nightstand, and wardrobe. When I step out my front door I can see the tunnels where they are growing vegetables and the mountains in the distance. It reminds me of being on a campground in Tennessee, just less trees.
Temperature - Honestly, I don't know what the temperature has been but during the day it has been absolutely perfect...not too warm, sun shinging and maybe a slight breeze. It gets colder at night but you don't need more than a long sleeve shirt or sweatshirt. If I had to guess, I would say it is in the 70's in the day and maybe the 50's or 60's at night. It is coming into winter here in the southern hemisphere so it will just get colder from here.
Food - There really isn't a "Swazi" food other than pap, which I haven't had yet. I have eaten the same food here that I would at home so no big change there.
All in all, I haven't had any culture shock nor have I felt like I have had to have much of a transition. I have just had a wonderful time playing with the children and beginning math lessons. Since the kids are on holiday from school, I am doing one hour math lessons during the day to help them practice and prepare for school to start again. It has been a lot of fun and I think the kids have enjoyed it too.
One thing that God has spoken to me while I have been here is through Moses birth in Exodus chapter 2. Moses had a great purpose for his life, and God protected him by bringing him into Pharaoh’s house to grow. God reminded me that the children here at Hawane each have a great purpose for their lives also, and He has brought them here to protect them and let them grow into the men and women of God He has planned. What a blessing it is to be a part of the destiny of each of these children!
To answer some of the questions you may have about where I am in Swaziland:
Place - I am staying in the Hospice on Hawane Farm with the nurse here. It is a very nice place, though like all of the homes here there is no insulation so it will begin to get quite cold soon. I have my own room with a bed, table, nightstand, and wardrobe. When I step out my front door I can see the tunnels where they are growing vegetables and the mountains in the distance. It reminds me of being on a campground in Tennessee, just less trees.
Temperature - Honestly, I don't know what the temperature has been but during the day it has been absolutely perfect...not too warm, sun shinging and maybe a slight breeze. It gets colder at night but you don't need more than a long sleeve shirt or sweatshirt. If I had to guess, I would say it is in the 70's in the day and maybe the 50's or 60's at night. It is coming into winter here in the southern hemisphere so it will just get colder from here.
Food - There really isn't a "Swazi" food other than pap, which I haven't had yet. I have eaten the same food here that I would at home so no big change there.
All in all, I haven't had any culture shock nor have I felt like I have had to have much of a transition. I have just had a wonderful time playing with the children and beginning math lessons. Since the kids are on holiday from school, I am doing one hour math lessons during the day to help them practice and prepare for school to start again. It has been a lot of fun and I think the kids have enjoyed it too.
One thing that God has spoken to me while I have been here is through Moses birth in Exodus chapter 2. Moses had a great purpose for his life, and God protected him by bringing him into Pharaoh’s house to grow. God reminded me that the children here at Hawane each have a great purpose for their lives also, and He has brought them here to protect them and let them grow into the men and women of God He has planned. What a blessing it is to be a part of the destiny of each of these children!
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