Less than 30 days

 Dad, here's that picture you wanted right?

This week was so different from any other week so far. One of my favorites for sure: because we barely had any team meetings which seem to be the thorn in my side! The week started out kind of weird because we went to the internet cafe on Sunday so I felt like I was one day off all week. The days continue to be very hot, which gets old after a while so I am very much looking forward to having A/C when I get home, even just a fan will be nice.

Monday we were able to celebrate one of our Swazi friend Bheki's birthday which was a lot of fun for me because it was my night to cook.  So we made him a special birthday dinner which he got to choose what he wanted to eat and we decorated a chair for him to sit in and put up some other decorations and bought him a cake.  Musa came over as well so it was so fun to celebrate with him.  He said that last year the only person that told him happy birthday was his mom, which of course made me want to cry, and he didn't stop smiling all night, it was so great. I took video of singing happy birthday to him, it was definitely one of the most fun nights here in Swazi. Most of us made him birthday cards and he was so excited he started reading all of them right away.

Wednesday was the best day in Africa for me.  Myself, along with 5 other girls, our translator Titi and Musa left at 6:00 am for a town called Bulembu.  Kaci had been on a mission trip there Summer 2009 and wanted to go back so we go the permission to go.  It was about a 3 hour drive and so much fun. The town is literally on top of a mountain so the weather was beautiful.  There were sometimes where it looked like we were driving through Switzerland, it was so crazy because I would have never pictured any place in Africa being so mountainous. There were a few times where we weren't sure if the van would make it up the mountain but we did!  Bulembu is a town that was bought by 2 individuals in 2002.  The town had shut down, and these people had the vision of making it a self-sustaining town by 2020.  The town is mainly for orphans, and the workers in the town know that they are doing their jobs, whether it be with lumber, honey, mining, etc. that it will affect the orphans in the village.  It is a pretty cool concept but I don't want to butcher it so I really hope you will take the time to check out this link and you can find out all about it: Bulembu Link.  We had a lot of fun exploring in the town and getting to see all the different parts of it and meet some beautiful kids.  It was really encouraging to see a place that is full of hope and is doing so much for the people I have grown to love.  I would love to spend more time there in the future.  One thing they do is build these homes and have Swazi women come in and be the Auntie to that house.  They will put 7-8 children in the home and they make these families for the kids.  The process of getting a child into a house is about 2 months because they like to see which of the Aunties are meshing with what group of kids and what kids are getting along the best, then they put them in a home together and become a family.  It is so awesome and encouraging.  Definitely lifts your spirits after seeing many sad things in our village of Timbutini. It was such a great day. Musa is so much fun and I sat in the front seat with him there and back so we had really entertaining conversations, and he would burst into song at random moments and I would have to remind him that everyone in the back was sleeping.  We did manage to get a flat tire which I helped to change :)  Musa wanted to stop at KFC in Manzini to get ice cream for all of us so that was really fun. (KFC is a really nice restaurant here, it looks nothing like America).  So, although I probably didn't do a very good job at explaining the day, it was my favorite day yet in Swaziland.  I think I'm just pretty tired right now so I apologize now for this blog, it might be my worst yet!


The rest of this week has just been so strange.  I'm not really sure why, but it went by really fast and there were mornings I woke up so early that I'm pretty exhausted.  Pray that my last few weeks in Swaziland will be full of different kinds of ministry opportunities and that the Lord would use me in ways I couldn't even imagine.  Less than 30 days until I come home, very bittersweet for me, but it will be good to be home. I am already looking forward to my next trip to Swaziland! 

Once again I apologize for the lack of content this week, I'm sitting in the internet cafe and it feels like a furnace in here so I'm anxious to get out!  Here's some pictures from the week:

 The hike from Sunday

 Bheki on his birthday :)

Musa & I

Bandile is on the right; I will be delivering his

shoes to him this week, I'm so excited!

This is on our way to Bulembu :)

 Bulembu

So excited to see grass!

Musa with a precious little boy in Bulembu's ABC orphanage

The flat I helped Musa change!

My favorite flower; they were everywhere

Titi and I; she's really short

So good!

A few more pics

pipe

 just some warthogs outside in the yard

Dinner Saturday night of debrief

 In our hostel

for you sister

My disgusting feet after the hike, lots of mud!

sweet friends :)

All the girls on the team at the top of Execution Rock

Shoes & Hospitals

Friends at the soccer field

 Tor-Tor before church

Katie wearing my wrap

 Kids playing with the parachute

 Cutest thumb sucker ever

 Cheeks

Girlfriend and Diane

(Girlfriend is the nickname we gave her 

because she has attitude!)

 Zanele and I were serving food to the kids

 my friend Bheki (he's on the D-team and I'm cooking

his birthday dinner monday night!)

 pretty girls

 for you mom :)

the day it rained and poured!

 Phinda the day I gave him his shoes and socks

with Phinda's family (he was holding my hand) I love my

Swazi brother

 waterfalls we went swimming at Saturday

Culture show

 the Swazi man kick..SO awesome

Week 7 in Swazi was perfect.  Each week I fall more in love with this place.  I can't believe we only have 5 weeks left until we come home.  I'm excited to be home, but not excited to leave.  Does that make any sense? The Swazi people have become a second family to me and the friendships I have made are so beautiful.  I can't put into words how thankful I am to be here.  The outcome of certain things the past 8 months allowed me to come here and if they would have been different I know I would not have chosen Africa now.  I am so SO glad my life has turned out the way it has.  God, your plan truly is SO much better than mine, and your ways SO much higher than mine.  It's so crazy because at the time of certain things happening in life you don't understand why and think there couldn't possibly be a better way, oh but there is!  There is no place I would rather be in life than where I am right now.  The Lord has given so much freedom for me to go wherever and not have circumstances at home tie me down and I absolutely love it!  In Jesus there is the greatest freedom. 

So this week my blog is going to be a little different because I don't have much time to type so I won't do a day by day explanation of the week. 

The week was great though.  Each week is better and better.  I get to be with my friends on the team, but more importantly I get to be with my beautiful, amazing Swazi friends. I can't belive how close you can get to someone in only 2 months. On Monday after Khanyisile Primary School we went to the hospital to visit a 12 year old boy, Nkhosingpile, who we took 2 weeks ago.  Some of the team met him at a care point and his leg was bandaged. He had been in some kind of accident involving a motorcycle so they decided to take him to the clinic where they found out he had a broken bone.  So, very glad they took him. When I met him, he had been in the hospital about 5 days because he was waiting for a hard cast.  At the hospitals here, people spend so much time just waiting for something they need, when at home you can go to the doctor, get a cast, and go home all in the same day.  Nkhosingpile said that he hadn't seen his mom in a few days and no one knew where she was.  By the time I saw him, he said she had only come to visit him once.  I almost burst into tears.  He still had a smile on his face as he sat alone in his wheelchair outside.  We took him back inside and he hobbled to his bed. I felt and instant connection with him.  I introduced myself and he said "I'm sorry but I don't know if I can remember that." So I told him to call me by my Swazi name, Nothando.  That, he could remember :)  So I got on the hospital bed with him and we played the dot game, where you try to make as many squares as you can.  He loves that game.  He was so sweet, at one point he just put his little arm around me.   Once again, my tender heart (that has become even more sensitive since being here) melted.  We just sat with him and talked, because he doesn't have any visitors.  Can you imagine that?  Being 12 years old, by yourself in a hospital that isn't in the best condition?  He was so brave and joyful.  It was really hard for me to say goodbye to him, because I don't go to the hospital anymore, and because I knew he would be spending the night by himself.  So I wrote him a card that one of the girls on my team took to him on Thursday and he read it to the whole team.  He was discharged Friday night and Musa was able to pick him up from the hospital and take care of him. 

One of the highlights of my week was taking the school shoes to my Swazi bhuti (brother) Phinda.  We had planned to meet at the football field on Wednesday at 3:30.  Well, the biggest storm I have seen in Africa blew in about 2:30 so I wasn't able to meet him Wednesday.  I was pretty bummed out because we had both been looking forward to Wednesday.  I do see him everyday at the football field because he is on the soccer team that me and a few girls go watch practice everyday.  I decided to walk down to the field once the rain slowed down just to make sure he hadn't walked there to meet me despite the storm, but he wasn't there.  Tori & I just hung out on the empty field doing stupid things until the boys showed up.  So when Phinda showed up we decided that I would come to his house on Thursday.  So, Thursday afternoon I had been waiting for him at Timbutini because he said he would meet me there after school, but he didn't show up.  I started walking back home and saw and kid in a blue hoodie walking along the road watching us.  I didn't know who it was but figured out it was Phinda so I yelled for him to come walk home with me.  I asked him if he had any socks and he said no.  Sweet Melodee Burt bought me some new socks before I left for Africa and there are a few pairs I hadn't worn yet so I brought them out to him and he was so excited.  He picked a green pair and a blue pair.  So Melodee if you're reading this, know that you blessed the sweetest boy in Swaziland when you bought me socks that day at Old Navy.  He looked at me and said "I'm so excited,"  I said, "About what?" and he said "My shoes!".  One of my favorite moments here.  His homestead was about a 20 minute walk from mine.  Through the brush and off a mud path, which is how you get to every homestead here.  When we got to his house we shouted "Ekhaya."  This means 'home' but it's what you say when you get to someone's gate and that lets them know they have visitors.  We went inside the gate and I met his family:  3 brothers, mom, dad and sister with 2 babies.  They had mud huts for their home (I took some pictures).  When I pulled out his shoes their faces lit up.  His dad said "Sgiya bonga kakhulu" (thank you so much).  I asked if I could take a picture with their whole family and his Babe (dad, pronounced Bah-bay) wanted to change into a nicer shirt first.  I showed them the picture and they asked if I could bring them a copy, which I was planning on doing.  I'm confident they don't have one picture together as a family, so I'm happy the picture I give them will have me in it!  This is one of my favorite memories in Swaziland. I told Phinda that I am his American sisi and he is my Swazi bhuti.  I can't wait to come back and visit him. 

Last week I prayed for clouds because it had been such a hot week and the Lord gave us clouds and wind all week long, and even a few days of rain.  The African sun is merciless so clouds are always a nice relief. 

On Tuesday I taught the lesson for the Bible study Stephanie, Calie & I do with the translators.  Elizabeth, John the Baptist's mother, was who I chose to talk about.  I told Titi and Zanele that I was really challenged by her prayer life.  She was in her 60s-70s and was still praying for a son.  She didn't grow weary in worship of the Lord and knew that if the Lord chose not to give her a son, He would provide for her in other ways.  In those days, if you did not have a son to take care of you when you got older then you were on your own.  Elizabeth didn't fear this because she knew that if there was not a son, the Lord would be their provider.  She prayed years and years for the same thing, not receiving an answer from the Lord for a very long time but she continued to pray for it.  That was definitely challenging to me in my prayer life.  Am I willing to continue to pray for something I am passionate about even if I don't receive an answer in MY timing?  So often I think I have the right to receive a quick response to my prayers, but where do I get that idea from?  At the end of the Bible study I was so encouraged when Zanele told me how much the lesson spoke to her heart.  She had been struggling with prayer about things and she said this lesson is exactly what she needed to hear.  She went into more detail, but I won't write about it because it's not important to y'all.  So that was great confirmation for me that the Lord had given me the right words to say and that it wasn't me catering to what I thought they might need to hear, because I had no idea these things were going on in Zanele's life.  All the glory to my Jesus. 

We left Friday morning for our halfway debrief, although we are more than halfway because we have been here 7 weeks and only have 5 left.  We went to a game reserve in Mlilane and stayed at a hostel.  It's a 2 story room so the boys beds are downstairs and the girls upstairs, even though we could see over the railing down.  It was a good time of relaxation and getting away from the homestead.  The point of a debrief is for you to get away from ministry for a few days and 'process' what has happened so far and look forward to what is ahead.  I didn't really have much to 'process' because I do that pretty well in my journaling.  I really ended up missing my ministry in Timbutini while we were gone.  I absolutely love the ministries God has given me here and am soaking up every second I am here.  We spent Friday and Saturday night at the hostel and came back today (Sunday).  That's why I wasn't able to post my blog yesterday because we just got to Manzini today. 

I hope the blog was okay this week, I just didn't have the time to type about each day, but the 2 stories I shared were the highlights of my week and definitely close to my heart so I hope you could see that through my words.  Enjoy the pictures!  See you in 35 days!  I love you family.