Sorry, Hacker!!

Sorry to all who had to read that stupid last post (I deleted it). Someone hacked into my email, and I had it set up that you could post to my blog from my email, so that’s what happened. I hope ya’ll realized that it wasn’t me that would post something like that! Sorry again!

October 30/2011 – The funnest times of our lives.

This last week has been just great! What an amazing way to end off the year. Amy and I were both telling Allan that we thought it was the best week of the year when he reminded us that that was only because it was a week built off of the entire year. It wouldn’t have been as special  had we not experienced all of the previous experiences. Very true.

 

So Tuesday and Wednesday we went to Potter’s Wheel, our home church, for a morning of prayer, worship, and teaching. They were really great encouraging and refreshing times for the entire team, and also the entire church I think. Everyone had just been feeling tired and worn down, which is why they decided on holding these services, specifically for everyone involved in the various ministries of the church. It was great.

 

Thursday the team went to visit Allan’s friend Julie’s ministry in Manzini. Julie works with AIM and she helps run a program that allows women in rural communities to sew handbags and then Julie sells them. The women then receive a salary based on the amount of bags they have sewn for the month. The income provided by this project is a major blessing to women – especially since they are able to sew the bags at home which means they can still take care of their house and children while supporting the family. The bags that these ladies make are super cute – and I may or may not have bought some to take home… :)

 

On Friday Jane, the on Farm nurse, had asked our team if we would help her with a “Gogo party” that she was putting on. Pretty much what that means is 8 Gogos (Grannies) and 2 Mkhulus (Grandpas) came over to the Farm and we treated them to breakfast, a foot spa (with toe nail painting!), some games, and lunch. I have to say – it was one of my favourite times yet. It was such a blessing to be able to rub the feet of these gogos who are so often forgotten about by their children and their communities. It was funny, because the power was out (hello rainy season!), and we were upset because we wanted to play a music dvd for the gogos while they were doing the foot spa. But since we had no power, we opted to sing to them as we did their feet, every siSwati song that we knew! The Lord obviously wanted it to be that way because it turned out that was the highlight for the gogos! They were all so impressed hearing these white girls singing in their language. They laughed and laughed. I just love them.

 

Friday night we celebrated our year of youth with all of the Farm youth and TCMI students. We had all the kids over to our backyard for s’mores – which turned into a bunch of kids just popping chocolate and marshmallows in their mouths versus actually making s’mores. But it was fun! We cranked some tunes inside the house and after a few minutes the party turned inside – to a dance off! The girls took one side of the living room and the boys took the other. It was hilarious!  And of course all of these kids are crazy dancers. Personally, I didn’t stand much of a chance in the dance off, but they clapped for my trying anyways.

 

At the end of the night we gathered everyone and took turns giving some speeches, first the leaders, and then the youth. One of the guys said, “You guys will leave wounds in our hearts – because you are leaving, but you are now our family.” You can probably imagine that it got pretty emotional. After speeches the evening was done, but all of us leaders made a receiving line by the door and hugged each kid on the way out. As we got to the end of the line the song “I’m coming home” came on and yes, I know it’s lame, but I was tearing up! What he said was true – we have become family. In my speech I told them that I loved each one of them, but what I thought about later was that, it’s not even that I just love each of them. I actually LIKE each one of them! I enjoy their company so much! And I’m going to miss them terribly.

 

Saturday we again assisted Jane with another party on the Farm, this time for a few orphaned kids from the community. It was really cute and fun with games, food, face painting, etc. I think the kids really enjoyed it.

 

One of the kids, Siyabonga (which means “we thank you”), had such a sad story. He was 7 years old but Dudu, one of the community workers who came to help, told me that he takes care of a small baby. His mom spends her time out drinking and is rarely home, and his gogo works in a salon in Mbabane, so she isn’t home a lot of the time either. Many times he doesn’t even go to school because he stays home to take care of the baby. How can such a small child take care of a baby? Fortunately, Siyabonga has good women like Dudu and Patricia looking out for him. They will often cook meals for him and look out for him when no adults are around. Lots of kids in Swaziland aren’t that lucky.

 

After knowing his story I was especially excited to watch him playing and enjoying himself at the party – and after the face painting he looked more like a tiger than a little boy! I again felt blessed to be a part of blessing others.

 

Saturday evening I was invited over to my house family to celebrate my sister Ncami’s 15th birthday! When I got there I realized it was a little more than a family celebration – 2 other Farm families were there as well as a few random extra Farm people. We enjoyed ourselves greatly, eating, chatting, and of course ending the evening with watching a football match on t.v. I was also invited to spend the night so of course I stayed up late with my sisters chatting and being silly. Though the whole evening was great, I couldn’t help but also feel sad. This family has become my own. I am theirs. It’s going to be so hard to say goodbye.

 

All in all, it’s been a great, but sad, week. Honestly, I’m not ready to leave. The time has gone by so fast, it feels like I was just at home last weekend! Yes, of course I’m excited to see all my Canadian loved ones, but I can’t help but mourn about leaving my Swazi ones. I love them. And I hope that someday we will meet again, but if not on this earth, I know we will in heaven.

October 25/2011 – Busy days.

We’ve been busy these days – but it’s been nice! Even though we’re coming to the end of our time here at Hawane the days are full of things to do.

 

Saturday we, the volunteers, hosted a group of 160 Sunday School kids from our community church as well as a partner church. The ages ranged from 2-13, with most kids falling around the age of 5 or 6. It was quite the crazy day!

 

We started out the day with some of the Farm’s youth and TCMI students leading the kids in praise and worship, then followed by a ginormous icebreaker of Simon Says, led by me.  We set up different stations of games, stories, drama, and bible learning and divided the kids into teams, about 16 kids per volunteer. Each station lasted about 10 minutes and then we would whistle for everyone to rotate stations. It worked great! The kids arrived around 9am and we finished up the program with a short word from Clever about the love of God at 12:30. Then – it was time to feed the masses! But even that went very smooth and orderly. The whole day was fantastic. It was great to demonstrate God’s love to those precious, beautiful little kids just by playing with them and loving on them with our own hands and feet.

Monday we made plans to take out all the house mothers and fathers of the orphan homes on the Farm for a nice lunch at Timbali Lodge in Ezulwini, the swanky part of Swaziland. Each of us volunteers has adopted a home, and thus a mother (and sometimes father), over the last year, so this was our way of thanking them for all their hospitality and love – and also to let them know how much we love and appreciate them! It was so much fun.

 

All of the house moms dressed in their best and we had a great time chatting, trying to decide what to order, and of course eating (dessert included!). We have grown to have close connections with our house moms, but we don’t get to spend a lot of time with them on the Farm, so it was nice to have the afternoon just to enjoy each others company – away from work! It was obvious that the moms also really appreciated the time off work and away from the Farm, and to be recognized for all of their hard, hard, work! You see, when teams come in they often put on nice events for the Farm kids, which makes sense, but the moms are mostly left in the background. For that reason the day was extra special, to them, and to us.  I very much enjoyed seeing the moms relax and enjoy – the day will go down as one of my favourite memories from our year.

 

One other special thing happened today, Tuesday, during hospital ministry. I met a princess! Yes, that’s right – a real genuine princess. One of the elderly ladies I prayed for in the hospital was a sister to the King, same mother and same father, which is a big deal here in Swaziland since the Kings all have many wives. The Princess’s daughter was there visiting her and she explained this all to me. When she left she even addressed her mother as Princess! I felt quite honored to have had the opportunity to pray for a Swazi Princess.

 

The hospital was also special today because we didn’t have a translator for most of the time so I went around, mostly by myself, just talking and praying with people. Oddly, all of the women I visited could speak English! Which is quite rare at the hospital. It was a very encouraging visit and I really enjoyed chatting with the patients and hearing their stories. Today was also our last hospital visit – I guess it’s good that it was a memorable one. I will miss our hospital visits.

 

We continue to wind down our time here at the Farm and also our time as a part of this internship. It’s bitter sweet. I feel that each of us has developed some level of wings over the course of this year, and each of us is also getting anxious for the opportunity to stretch them, to try them out, and see if we will fly. God knows that we will. And when our wings fail us, He will be there to catch us.

October 15/2011 – The end is near.

The end is near. We only have 3 weeks left on the farm, then a few days for debrief somewhere in South Africa, and then a few weeks for travel, and then back to Canada! Eeek! I can’t believe that it’s been almost a year since I’ve been home – it honestly feels like I was just there last weekend! I think this year has definitely shown my how short life must be, if every year goes by this fast my life will be over before I know it!

 

There’s not a lot to update on from this side. We’ve been going about our weekly ministries as usual, and they’ve been good. There is a winding down feeling though amongst the team, and I think as we get closer and closer to the finish line, everyone is becoming a little anxious. I guess it’s always exciting to look forward to the next stage of your life – that is, if you know what you’re doing! Unfortunately I seem to be the only team member who still has a big fat question mark hanging over January 2012 and beyond. But I know, God will direct me. 

 

James, one of my team mates from Zambia, has been invited to work at the Teen Challenge rehab center here in Swaziland that is run by the same ministry as Hawane Farm. Clever, my team mate from Zimbabwe, is staying on with Africa Revolution and Hawane Farm as a manager/coordinator of the future interns that come through. Amy, my sister-mate, now has peace about going home and is excited to be around for the planning of her brother’s wedding next summer. I.. am blank. 

 

I’ve heard a good saying though recently which goes, “When you pray, move your feet.” And I think that’s what I must do. I’m praying for direction, which I know that God will give, but I’ve got to keep moving. So I will just keep moving, in a direction, until He clearly shows me to turn, slow down, stop, etc. Even though I don’t know where I’m headed at the moment, I do have peace. I don’t feel anxious or worried about the future and I don’t feel like I have to have it all figured out right now. That’s a big step for me. I think Africa has taught me a lot – patience, faith, and trust. 

September 22/2011 – The craziest week ever?!

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Well this week, Sunday, started out with a well meaning little day trip to Bulembu – driving around Swaziland through South Africa instead of driving through Swaziland because some of the team needed to get their passports stamped. The trip should have been relatively short. It should have been an enjoyable day off the farm. Unfortunately, it turned into something much different, and very unexpected!

It all started with lunch in Barberton, South Africa. We had planned on eating lunch in Bulembu, but we were later than we had expected and everyone was hungry. So we stopped in Barberton, a town about 1/2 hour away from the Bulembu border back into Swaziland.

Lunch was fine, but slow. We enjoyed our food and were ready to head back out onto the road. Well, on our combi there is an anti theft device that locks the gear shift in place with a key. This is where the first incident happened. Allan, unknowingly, used the wrong key in the lock and when he tried to turn it the (wrong) key broke off inside the lock! This created a problem since you can’t drive the car without unlocking this device.

Us ladies decided to go back and use the restroom while the men tried to sort out the problem and thankfully by the time we were back it was solved! Clever had some pliers in the back and was able to remove the broken key, use the correct key, and unlock the device. Praise the Lord! Little did we know, this was just the first event in a string of many.

Driving from Barberton to the Swazi border requires driving up a mountain, a very steep mountain with absolutely no guard rails. If that wasn’t scary enough by itself, our combi started to act a little funny. After driving for about 15 minutes we heard the sound of boiling coming from the engine, and then, POW! Something exploded! We pulled to the side of the road to take a look – turns out some water pipe had exploded and, of course, we didn’t have anything to repair it.

Now here is the real tricky thing about this situation. The Bulembu border into Swaziland closes at 4:00pm because it’s a very small border crossing. The time was now around 3:30pm and we were at least 15 mins from the border. Hmmm…

Luckily some Bulembu friends of ours had also been eating lunch in Barberton and found us stranded on their way back home. They really couldn’t do much for us except take Annie and baby Judah with them back to Bulembu, which really was a big help. The rest of us sat, stranded, while Clever and James got picked up by some forestry workers to get a ride somewhere to get something to repair our combi. Mostly we just laughed about the whole situation, and made up horror stories about getting eaten by lions in the middle of a forest. You see, when a road such as this one goes to only one place, the Bulembu border to Swaziland, and that border happens to be closed, there aren’t a whole lot of cars driving by! But everyone was in good spirits and we knew that the Lord would provide us a way.

Eventually the boys came walking back to the combi and semi fixed it – enough for us to drive a few kms, on the way back to Barberton! We had to stop again for a few hours at the residency of the forestry workers, trying to cool off the engine. It took awhile, but by nightfall we were back in Barberton. Our combi was in rough shape though, and the other border crossings into Swaziland were at least 2 hours away – we knew there was no way our little bus was going to make it. So we spent the night at the Chill Inn (original, eh?) – no toothbrushes, no clean clothes (underwear!), no contact solution, no glasses… yuck! But what an adventure :) Most of us were still having fun at this point, and even though we were in what seemed like a rough situation, it kind of felt like a mini holiday!

The next day we started out again for Bulembu – we didn’t get far. Our poor little combi couldn’t make it but a few kms up that steep mountain without boiling over. Back down the mountain to Barberton..

As we broke down again just outside of town we met a nice woman who ended up being our savior in this whole ordeal. She was so kind – taking Clever to all the parts shops in town trying to help us find the part we needed. Most dealers told us we would have to go to Nelspruit – another hour or two drive. We knew that there was no way our combi would make it that far. But the Lord made a way, at the last little parts store they informed us that one of their workers was actually in Nelspruit right then – and on his way back within a few minutes! He could pick up the part we needed and bring it back for us.

So that was what we did. We waited and ate some KFC and eventually the part arrived. The unfortunate part was that we were pressed for time to get to the Bulembu border! We came to the border with about 3 minutes to spare – and then bumped into our friends from Piggs Peak, Swaziland, whose car had broken down right at the border! Well – we couldn’t just wave hello and drive by now could we? No, so we stopped and helped, and the time passed 4:00 – the time that the border was supposed to close. But praise be to the Lord we all made it through!

It was already getting dark and starting to rain when we got to Bulembu, and the Bulembu to Piggs Peak dirt road is scary enough when it’s dry and light outside, so there was not a lot of time for rest – back to the road we went! We spent another treacherous hour or two driving back to Hawane through thick fog on mountain roads with no guard rails. But through it all – God’s hand of protection was on us, and everyone, though ready to be home by this point, was still well and in good spirits! And the combi made it!

Tuesday morning we woke to our longest ministry day of the week – still tired from the whole combi ordeal in South Africa. We made it through the morning of ministry at Elusitwini/Emafini, and then found out our afternoon hospital visit was cancelled on account of the riot in Mbabane. The unfortunate part about this is that we were already in Mbabane – witnessing the riot! To be honest though, it was more along the lines of a peaceful protest. But it was the closest thing to a riot I had ever seen! As we sat in the grocery store parking lot I watched a band of men wielding sticks in their hands and chanting songs run along the road in front of KFC over to the combi rank where there was a huge, huge, gathering of people. I didn’t experience tear gas, and I didn’t see anyone get beat up, thankfully. But Allan was pretty nervous about it all, and as we saw the police coming in, he knew we better get out of there ASAP. So we did. The next day I heard news about the riot in Manzini, the biggest city in Swaziland, where the police had been using tear gas and rubber bullets. Then I was glad we hadn’t stayed to witness the rest of the action in Mbabane!

Wednesday was a long day of Luke Commission, though compared to the other days seemed pretty uneventful. I spent all day in the triage department taking blood pressure and poking fingers for blood sugar and HIV tests. It was enjoyable – nice to be doing some hands on work. But of course, still a long day, even though we got home relatively early (around 10:00pm) for Luke Commission standards.

Now today, Thursday, is a quiet, reading day. Tomorrow is Luke Commission again. But as long as the combi holds up – our adventures will probably stay to a minimum! Transportation is a hugely under appreciated need in ministry. Unless a miracle happens, our combi is not going to last much longer. And driving around an unreliable vehicle – especially in Africa where you can’t just call up your local CAA – isn’t a very viable option. So us as a team, us as AR, are praying for provision from the Lord! Not just for us this year, but for AR teams to come. Join us in praying for the provision of transport!

Hope ya’ll are doing well! Remember to let me know how your life is going also! And soon enough I’ll be back in Canada…

(UPDATE: September 25/2011)

Update on the combi situation!

Friday night we were driving home from Luke Commission and it was dark. On top of the darkness it was also foggy and raining. We were driving down the side of a mountain on a busy highway (yes we do have those in Swaziland!) when – the lights on the combi went out! And after the lights – the brakes went out! So we pull to the side of the highway, without lights, and have to sit there while Clever tries to find and solve the problem. It was scary! Praise the Lord no one drove into us and Clever was able to fix the power cord temporarily, enough to get us home to the farm.

So that was just an update on our transportation situation. We appreciate prayers for the provision of new and reliable transportation!

(Interested in helping – check this page out on the Africa Revolution website!)

September 13/2011 – Someone to love.

This morning started out with difficulty – I was battling. But I know that when I’m feeling low and overwhelmed the best thing I can do is take the focus off of myself and my own situation. So as I sat at the kitchen counter with my head in my hands I prayed, “Lord, please just give me someone to love today.” And you know – our Lord is faithful.

 

Tuesday mornings start with us going to Elusitwini – a home for women coming out of abuse or other life destroying situations. This morning they didn’t have a whole lot for us to do. Another lady from church had come to teach classes to the women all morning, so they were busy, but the children did need looking after. So while their mothers were in class – us girls pulled out some craft supplies and tried to keep the kids entertained.

 

Of course, two year olds only enjoy colouring for a matter of minutes, so once they were done with that we moved on to playing in the yard with the few toys and balls that they had. Shortly after we started playing one of the boys walked over to me, touched my leg a little, then looked up and stretched up his arms. As soon as I picked him up his little chin found a place on my shoulder – my heart melted. It was exactly what I needed.

 

We found ourselves a chair in the shade and after inspecting and rubbing my arm hair for awhile he proceeded to fall asleep on my lap with his head leaning on my chest. Inwardly I thanked God. He provided me with someone I could love on that morning – and I think many would agree that there is nothing that soothes the soul like holding a little child in your arms (well, preferably one that is calm and/or sleeping).

 

Tuesday afternoons we spend ministering to people at the public government hospital in Mbabane, the capital city of Swaziland. Today we visited a women’s ward – and it was jam packed. As you can probably imagine, Swazi hospitals aren’t exactly up to North American standards. Our team divided into groups and began going from patient to patient, talking and praying with them.

 

About halfway through the ward my group came upon a young woman who had recently tried to kill herself by overdosing on pain killers. Though she was open to us praying for her, and seemed happy to see us, she made it clear that she didn’t want to share with us about the situation that lead to her trying to take her own life. It wasn’t that I clearly heard God’s voice, or that I felt pressured by anyone or even myself, but I knew I had to stay behind and talk more with this girl. I didn’t feel nervous – I wasn’t afraid of what I should or shouldn’t say. I just really wanted to talk to her, probably because I identified with her – I’ve experienced that darkness. And so, here was my second answer to prayer – another soul to love on.

 

As my group walked away I sat down on the edge of her bed and asked her if it would be alright if I stayed and talked with her for awhile. She smiled and said yes, and then the story began pouring out – along with tears. She knew her boyfriend was running around with other girls, and she knew she deserved better, but there was one big problem – she had contracted HIV from him. She felt like she could never leave him, even with him cheating on her, because she felt like no other man would ever accept her or love her because of her status. She’s too afraid to tell her parents – she knows how angry and disappointed they will be. And it’s her that they rely on to take care of them. She doesn’t have a job right now, she has applied to be in the army, but as soon as they test her for HIV she will be kicked out. And she says she knows God – but she can’t see how He can fix her life. She just wants the HIV to be gone.

 

Now – it seems so easy. I should be able to tell her, “Leave that guy! There is a man out there that will love you regardless of your status, a man of God who will really care for you!” But I can’t. Yes, it’s possible that God will bring a man like that into her life – but it’s true that in Swaziland those men are rare, even among Christian men, and sometimes more so. I should be able to tell her, “Talk to your parents – yes, they will be upset and disappointed, but they are your source of support! They are your family. They love you no matter what.” But again, I can’t. Yes, it’s possible that her parents would get over their anger and disappointment and turn to supporting her – but it’s true that in Swaziland her family could also find out and turn her out. That their disgrace would be so heavy that they would abandon her to herself – that they would never support her in anything ever again.

 

So what can I say? If I was enduring her circumstances would I put myself in the same situation? Probably. It feels hopeless even just hearing it in someone else’s life.

 

But that’s where the only solution can be Jesus. The only way to have joy and peace is truly in the supernatural – truly in the Lord. Because there is no human solution to her situation. Only the Son of God can bring light into such a dark situation – and I pray that He will. And I pray that she will accept it – and fight for it.

 

We exchanged contact numbers so I hope to hear from her more in the future. I know, and I told her, that God is not done with her yet. She survived for a reason. God spared her life because He has a future for her and a HOPE! (Jeremiah 29:11) And though God has the power to heal her from HIV, He may not – but regardless of her status, Jesus does promise to heal her life! Amen and amen.

September 4/2011 – The beginning of the end.

We’re into September! And finally, spring has come to Hawane. Actually – more like summer. It seems in Swaziland that one day it’s winter, and the next day it’s summer! But who is complaining? Definitely not me!

 

Allan and Annie arrived last Saturday and have now been with us for over a week. It’s been so great to have them here, along with Annie’s sister Molly and their baby son Judah. It’s definitely a different dynamic having a 1 1/2 year old around! But we love him so much. At the same time though, it was very sad to say goodbye to Jon and Jude.

 

So far we haven’t done much – just trying to allow them to settle in. The days before they moved in we spent painting, re-carpeting, and trying to scrounge up kitchen things. In the last week we’ve spent most evenings just hanging out and catching up. It’s been so great.

 

But – we have to now face the fact. The year is wrapping up, whether we like it or not. Allan and Annie will only be with us until the beginning of November, after that we’ll probably put in some traveling time, and then it will be back to Canada. I have mixed feelings. It’s always exciting to look forward to the next stage of your life (especially when it’s a huge unknown question mark?) but at the same time, I’m not sure if I’m ready to close this chapter. And most days, the fact that I have absolutely no idea what to do next year scares me a lot.

 

But the Lord has been working on me. I know that He has it all worked out and that it will be revealed to me in time… in some ways that’s exciting. But it takes all I have within me some days not to just go into panic mode. Or to try and just plan and work things out for myself. His way is best though – that I know. It’s time for me to just sit back and wait.

 

This is what the Lord says to me:

 

Isaiah 30:20-21

“Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them. Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, ‘This is the way; walk in it.”