Helping the children and women of Swaziland affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

A team of six United Methodist women from California came to Swaziland to do a vacation bible school for the kids at Lomngeletjane.  They were in Swaziland for about 10 days, leaving about a week before I left for the States.

Their first Sunday in Swaziland they went to church up at Lomngeletjane.  After church we visited the Sandra Lee Centre in Mbabane.  (To learn more about the Sandra Lee Centre visit their website at:  http://www.sandraleecentre.org)  While at Sandra Lee Centre the team played with the children, read books to them, and some of the team members baked chocolate chip cookies with the older kids.  It was a fun afternoon.

The kids at Sandra Lee Center gathered around watching and waiting for their turn to help make the cookie dough.

John and Dolly with Becky showing off the first batch of cookies. They were yummy!

Team members Jane (l) and Aileen (r) reading books and talking with the kids. The kids love to be read to and loved having so many adults around to read to them.

Unfortunately on Monday morning it was raining very hard.  To get to Lomngeletjane you have to go up a hill using a dirt road for about 10 kilometers.  It is pretty much impassable when it rains a lot.  So we delayed the start of VBS until Tuesday.  When we pulled up to the school on Tuesday morning there were only a handful a kids waiting for us, but before the morning was over the number increased to 40.  On Wednesday we had 60 kids, on Thursday there were 75 kids and on Friday we had almost 100 kids.  Considering the fact that the VBS was held during a school break between terms and that there were only 150 kids total in the school, I would say we had very good attendance.

The theme of VBS focused on the principles behind Three Simple Rules of John Wesley's teachings: do no harm, do good and stay in love with God. Each day had a different theme verse which was added to the list on the Chalkboard.

Each day also had a story. To handle the language issues we had volunteers from the church and community to translate for us.

There were games each day. The kids in this picture were learning about relay games.

The kids in the rural areas don't get to play these types of games. Everyone had fun, including the adults!

What would VBS be without arts and crafts? These kids also don't get the opportunity to do arts or crafts. For many, if not all, this was the first time they were encouraged to express themselves.

The Swazi adults and translators wanted an opportunity to do the projects as well! They were as focused as the kids were!

On Thursday the groups were introduced to Play Dough. The kids thought this was really fun.

It was so fun to watch the children laughing and giggling while creating masterpieces.

We also introduced finger painting. It was amazing how many of the kids, especially the older ones, didn't want to put their hands in the paint. They have never experienced this and are never given the opportunity to just role up their sleeve sand get dirty for fun. It was fun watching their reactions and then seeing how creative many were.

After the first day, we started splitting the groups by age. We had four groups that rotated through all of the activities. I was so amazed at how still and quiet all of the kids, regardless of how young or how old they were, sat during the stories.

Each morning the children got in a big circle and we sang the Hokey Pokey. They thought this was hilarious especially since we (the crazy Americans) were doing it with them. After the Hokey Pokey they lined up in their normal before school "assembly" lines and we sang a few songs.

Friday's story (Daniel in the lion's den) was acted out by the team using pictures of the characters in the story pasted onto sticks. Guess what? The kids liked that too!

We had the kids color on Friday because we had to leave as soon as possible after VBS to go on home visits. Kids in the rural schools never get a chance to just color so it was a treat for them.

By Friday, most of the kids knew what was happening next. They had fun playing with the parachute.

The last thing we did each day before our closing assembly was to give the children and helpers lunch. Each child and adult received two sandwiches, a piece of fruit and a glass of fruit juice. We made the sandwiches each night for the next day and we had to estimate how many sandwiches we would need. Praise God we always had enough.

This little girls, Buhle, was about 18 months old when I first met her in August, 2007. Her mom said one of her first words, certainly her first English word, was Chris. She would say it when she would see me driving up to the school. In January, 2012 she started grade 1 at Lomngeletjane!

One last photo, just before dismal on the last day. The team is in the very back of the group. I think everyone had a good time and learned a lot. The head teacher couldn't believe how creative his children are.

This was the homestead that my group visited. It was a gogo and seven grandchildren. Thini and Sibongile translated for us which gave the team the opportunity to ask questions while they were listening to the family's story.

Gogo with her seven grandchildren, all orphans. The kids are wearing the clothes we brought them.

It may seem strange that here it is March, 2012 and I am doing a blog on the dedication of Mahlatsini Methodist Church last July.  The reason is really quite simple.  I was so busy in July and until I left Swaziland on August 31, 2011, that I never got around to writing about it.  The organized and analytical side of me can’t write about the new things that are happening this year in Swaziland until I tell you about some of the main events that I missed sharing with you.

On July 23, 2011 The official dedication was held for Mahlatsini.  It was a race to get it finished before I left and to coordinate it with Bishop Siwa’s schedule.  Bishop Siwa was coming to Swaziland for a conference in July so he came in a day early so he could dedicate Lomngeletjane Methodist Primary School on July 19th and stayed an extra day to dedication Mahlatsini.

First, let me set the scene for you:  These first pictures were taken after the Lomngeletjane dedication late in the day on July 19th.  This left four work days until the dedication would happen at 9:00 in the morning on July 23rd.

This was the view when I first pulled up on the church grounds. I was so excited because the majority of the building was painted. I also marveled at the typical African scene of children or women carrying fire wood on their heads for that evening's meal. Life was good.

Then we walked inside. There was still a lot of work going on. I was a bit more concerned, but the light inside wasn't good and if I didn't look closely I was happy. It was going to take some deep breathing and a good amount of faith, on my part to believe it would be finished on time.

And then I started looking closer. None of the windows had glass panes in them. Indeed, most of the windows weren't plastered into the wall yet. After the plastering was finished and dried the walls and windows needed to be painted. I was not a happy camper. But still, what could I do? Offer up some prayers, turn it all over to God and then calmly with a positive attitude get in my bakkie and drive the hour and 15 minutes back home.

 Oki-doki!  I had lots to do because my time was getting so short in Swaziland.  The 23rd was not only the day of dedication.  It was also the day I was leaving right after the dedication to catch a plane to South Africa to join a team from my home town in the States on a mission trip to Malawi.  When I returned from Malawi I had just a few days before a from California came and then I had just a few days after the team left until I left for the States.  I really had no choice other than to be calm because there wasn’t anything I could do about it.

Early in the morning on July 23rd Thoko, Thini and I headed out to Mahlatsini.

Can you imagine how excited Thoko, Thini and I were to see this beautifully finished building? This was nothing short of a miracle!

Didn't they decorate the inside beautifully? I was so surprised and very, very pleased.

Bishop Siwa starting to unveil the dedication plaques.

Bishop Siwa knocking three times on the door claiming the church in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

This is Fikile. I had visited her several times over the years at a school for the handicapped near Manzini. I didn't know she went to this church until after we started the building. In the planning stages I said I wanted a ramp so the gogo's could get into the building. Fikile was so excited to be able to enter her church on her own!

Rev. Nyameka saying a few words about the church and inviting us all to enter.

I am speaking to the congregation and Nomsa Hlope is translating for me.

The kids are sitting up in front at my request. I also asked that the gogo's sit up front. This is not the way the seating traditionally goes but they did as I asked. When I was speaking to the congregation I told them that it was the gogos, women and the children that touched my heart, and that is why I finished the church for them - so the elderly would have a decent place to worship and the children would have a place to come and learn about Jesus and also learn basic education concepts so they would be better prepared to go to school. I was pleased.

When the service was over, we were all served lunch.  Thoko, Thini and I had to take ours to eat on the go because I had a plane to catch.  We walked out a door on the side to avoid the crowds.  This is what I saw:

The glazier still putting in windows! That is also when I realized that none of the windows had glass in them! They had opened them up so no one would notice. You gotta love Swaziland!!! We laughed about that all the way home. You will be happy to know that when I went back to check on things the second week in August, the work had all been finished.

It’s hard to believe I’ve been back in the States for almost two months.  I find I am still catching up on my rest.  I must say I don’t think I’ve slept this much in my entire life!  Since being back in the states I’ve mainly been enjoying time with family and friends and catching up on their lives over the last 4 years.   The first two weeks I was in the States I spent at home in Round Rock, Texas.  While it was  good to be home, the drought has been so bad that all of the grass and bushes and even some of the trees are dead.  The temperatures were in the 100’s so going outside wasn’t real inviting.  Then I went to the Seattle area in Washington to spend time with my oldest son, Christopher and his wife Jen.  They actually live on Bainbridge Island which is across the bay from Seattle.  Bainbridge Island is a beautiful small community with lots of wooded areas, hiking trails and places to walk near the water.  It was exactly what the Lord knew I needed to rest and renew my soul.  After 3 1/2 weeks I flew down to Oakland, California to be with my dear friend and her mom who had sudden and serious medical problems.   Although the pace is the exact opposite of Washington (and certainly Africa!), it is just where the Lord wants me to be for right now.  Most of the time in California is being spent at the Rehabilitation Center where her mom was transferred to following spinal cord surgery.  This has been an overwhelming thrust into American culture because I’m driving to and from the Rehab center on a busy freeway with six lanes going in each direction!  This has definitely been a challenge in trying to “be still and know” and having the faith to get from one place to another without getting caught into the “rat race.”  I lived in this area of California for many, many years but it is amazing how much things have changed over the years, and what a difference it is coming from Africa.  But I’m preserving and praising God every step of the way that His protection is still with me.  November 1st I will fly back to Texas for a couple of weeks and then I will take off again, this time to go see my brother and sister-in-law in Idaho and stop by Washington again to spend Thanksgiving with Christoper and Jen.  I knew the Lord was calling me home because it was time to be with family.  I had no idea this is what my time in the States would look like.  But it has all been a blessing and I thank Him once again for His grand plan.

The following are some pictures from my time in Washington.  Let me warn you of two things:  One there are a lot of pictures and two, they don’t begin to show the true beauty I was resting in.

One of the small little harbors around the island. We had several days when the weather was absolutely perfect.

I fell in love with this plant. It's called a Chinese Lantern plant. It was so bright and colorful. The little "lanterns" will turn brown and then fade to a lace-like transparent Lantern.

Mount Ranier as viewed from the ferry from Bainbridge Island to downtown Seattle. I would never get tired of this view. It is so magnificent.

I took a few days and drove through the Olympic National Park. On the first day I took a small hike at Hurricane Ridge and as I rounded a corner I saw this doe and her baby. They were so precious, but I must say, it's not quite the same as being this close to a rhino, elephant, zebra or even Impalas.

The view on my walk. Notice the small patch of clouds starting to blow in over the top of the mountain peaks.

I made it to the top of Hurricane Ridge. This is the view as I started back down the path. This hike was quite a workout for me since I haven't done much hiking in mountains since July, 2010. Everywhere you looked, was mountains and then more mountains. I LOVED it!

Crescent Lake. I drove past this lake on the 2nd day. A couple of years ago I hiked near here with Christopher. It was winter then and the day was rainy and cold with lots of fog/clouds hanging over this lake. I'm not sure which was more beautiful; the lake in clouds or the lake in beautiful sunlight. Both were magnificent. God's creation is SO amazing!

The next stop after Crescent Lake was Rialto Beach on the Pacific Ocean. I spent several hours here sitting in God's presence and listening to His voice and the sound of the ocean. Because this entire area is surrounded by forests, dead trees and logs were washed up on the beach. The size of this tree trunk that washed up on the beach is one of the examples of God's power. This tree trunk was huge and yet when it fell it was washed into the ocean and the waves of the ocean over time washed it up on the shore. Everything has it's purpose and there is a season and time for everything all according to God's plan.

The tide washing up on a rock that was smooth from all it had been through, but still had lots refining action left to become like the others. Or maybe God's plan for this rock is different. Maybe it will stay this size. Only God knows.

The view of islands made out of rock looking trough the roots of the tree truck made by the tide and waves.

A view looking north up the beach. I forgot how much I love being by the ocen especially when the weather is perfect as it was on this day.

When I left the beach I drove to the Quinault Rain Forest and spent the night at Lake Quinault. I went on several shorter hikes in this area. I was told a black bear had been seen in the area and to take precautions. I asked what precautions I should take. The answer was not to hike alone (ok, but I am alone, so next?) and to stand firm if I see a bear. I also learned that if you talk, they will know you are a human and go away from you. While walking I saw this log with four notches taken out of it. I wondered if someone was marking their way so they wouldn't get lost or maybe the bear marked how many humans it had spotted on the path. It's interesting the way the imagination can run away with you if you let it! I refused to let it get to me and held fast to God's promise that He will always be with me.

This was some not too fresh bear droppings right in my path. I started singing "Jesus Loves Me" over and over and over again while I hiked. I was claiming the name and scaring the bear away with my singing at the same time! I saw a few more traces of the bear on this walk but praise God, I never saw the bear.

The view looking up to the tree tops.

This is a chicken mushroom. I just love walking through God's creation and finding new amazing flowers and plants.

I don't know the name of this smooth, white mushroom, but it was so amazing that there were little droplets of water all over it and it wasn't raining. I guess this is why it is called a "rain" forest! These mushrooms were another example of how we usually think of something like a mushroom (or sometimes certain people) as not being too attractive or worth our while, but you look at it with God's eyes, you can see the glory, beauty and purpose of whatever you are looking at.

Let the waters flow...

One of many, many waterfalls.

Same area, but not actually in the rain forest.

Driving along the river. You can't see it in this picture, but small golden leaves would gently float down with the slight breeze. The sun would shine on the leaves and it looked like gold falling from the sky.

This was on another small hike in the rain forest. I was so amazed at how different the area was and yet this was only a few miles from the other section of the rain forest. How does God do this?????

Another view of Mount Ranier looking past the docks and elevated freeway of Seattle.

A snapshot of the ferry to Bainbridge Island with the Olympic mountains in the back. Just looking at this picture again makes me take in a deep breath, praise God for His beautiful gift of His creation, and feel a bit more peaceful and blessed.

Tuesday, July 19th was a very, very big and emotional day.  It was the official opening and dedication of Lomngeletjane Methodist Primary School.  The ceremony was supposed to start at 9:00 (or between 9 and 10).  It finally started at 10:30!  Many people arrived between 11:00 and 12:00.  Chief Lomngeletjane didn’t arrive until 12:30!  The Chief however “wasn’t late.  He was detained!”  Despite it starting so late, it was a very nice ceremony.

The students waiting for the ceremony to start. Notice the boys with grey trousers and all of the nice looking maroon jerseys (sweaters) and track suits. These were bought for the children through funds donated to One Child at a Time, One Heart at a Time.

You may notice that some of the boys in this picture have on khaki shirts and trousers. These are older uniforms. Usually the kids have two uniforms. One they wear on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. The other they wear on Wednesdays and Fridays. The boys at Lomngeletjane wear khaki shirts and pants on some days and grey on the other days. The plan is to transition them to grey so we bought the boys grey trousers and shirts. The reason for two uniforms is so that the one can be cleaned while the other is being worn. In reality, most children in the rural schools are lucky to have one uniform, let alone two!

The ceremony was opened by Rev. Nyameka and then handed over to the Bishop to give a talk and pray. This is Bishop Siwa, currently the Bishop of the Highveld and Swaziland District. He is also the Presiding Bishop - elect and starting in January he will be the Bishop over all of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa.

Bishop Siwa gave a very good talk.  His scripture was from Psalms 1:1-3:  “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the way of mockers.  But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.  He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither.  Whatever he does prospers.”  He went on to say that a person’s heart defines the person, not the way he looks or the education he receives.  An educated man with a hard heart who does not love the Lord will use his education for personal gain or even to harm others.  But one who has a heart for God and walks in the ways of the Lord will use his education for the good of others.  Therefore, since Lomngeletjane is a mission school, it must teach the children the way of the Lord so that they will grow up to be strong, Christian leaders for the good of their community,  Swaziland and even the world.  He said it was the church and teacher’s responsibility to help the children learn how to develop a vessel to hold the water so that he or she can bear much fruit.

After the prayers and blessing of the classrooms, there were more speeches with occasional breaks of entertainment by the children.

The Lomngeletjane Choir. They had beautiful voices. They sounded more like high school kids than primary kids. The young man who is "conducting" is somewhat of a "naughty" boy (or a class clown). His name is Yusumuzi Shabangu. He is 13 years old and in the 4th grade. He got a complete new uniform last week: new shoes, socks, trousers, shirt, underwear, jersey and shoe polish. He grew a few inches on the spot as he stood taller. I was so surprised to see him conducting the choir. Granted he obviously likes the attention, but he really knew how to lead the choir. This young man has some talent. I'm going to keep my eye on this young man. I want to get to know more about him and try to encourage him to do well in school so he can get a good education.

John Dlamini, the builder we used for the first four-classroom block, the staff room/storage building, the latrines and the teacher's house. He is a member of the community and is now the head of the school committee.

The kids doing the "gumboot" dance. This is always on the agenda for ceremonies at schools. It is a non-sense skit/dance that is created and performed by the students. It is usually a spoof on "life and/or different jobs." The kids, parents and teachers always love it. I must say it is funny, even if I don't quite get the point of it.

Sigombeni High School male traditional dancers. Their dance also had a theme welcoming Lomngeletjane Primary school to the community. Sigombeni High School is the closest high school. It is about 4 to 5 km away if you travel there via the road.

Lomngeletjane girls doing a choreographed line dance.

Lomngeletjane girls performing traditional Swazi dances. They were very good.

Lomngeletjane boys traditional dancers. The slim guy at the rear of the group lost his dance attire (a skirt) while he was dancing. It was so good I had given him underpants the day before! They were red and I must say they fit him pretty well! I thanked God the boy a pair and was wearing them! When one of the little girls kicked high, her skirt came apart a little and I could see her brand new pink panties!

This young man was in the choir. I sent Thoko a text message while they were singing telling her we missed a child! How do you like my Swazi attire? Every one thought I was very beautiful and were so happy that I was now a real Swazi!

The ceremony ended around 3:00 and then we were served lunch.  From Lomngeletjane I drove to Mahlatsini to take them some paint.  Thoko, Thini and Sibongile drove with me.  We were even more blessed when we got to the church and saw that the progress that is being made is very good.  It was a long, great day full of blessings.  Thoko and I talked about the day’s events the entire way home.  We reminisced about how we got to know each other.  She was the person that cleaned my house so it was ready for me.  Who would have guessed back then that we would become so close!  I couldn’t help but sing “the Lord is good to me, and so I thank the Lord” over and over and over again.  By the time I took the ladies home and got home myself, it was about 8:30.

"To the Glory of God." I am always saying "It's all for the Glory of God" when I'm thanked for all the things I've done. It was so special to see those words on the plaque. Maybe they have been listening to me!

Once again, I want to thank all of those who have so graciously and generously donated to One Child at a Time, One Heart at a Time making today possible.   I also want to thank the members of the teams that have come and given of their time, energy and money to make this school a reality.  The teams are: 2008- First United Methodist Church, Round Rock, TX; 2009 – Munholland Methodist Church, New Orleans, LA and Belmont United Methodist Church, Nashville, TN; and Individual United Methodist Volunteers in Mission Jeri and Gary Carson-Hull; 2010:  McNeese University Wesleyan Center, Lake Charles, LA, and 2011:  California-Nevada Conference United Methodist Women.  Unkulunkulu Abusisi! (God bless you!)

This post is long but it’s been an outlet for me.  So, grab yourself a cup of coffee, tea or whatever your favorite drink is, sit back and relax.

This past week has been a whirlwind.  The date of my departure is quickly approaching and I have several projects that needed to be completed by certain dates.  That’s not exactly a recipe for calm, peace and success in Swaziland!  At the start of the week, I basically had 3 weeks left to get many things accomplished before the dedications of three of the projects start and I leave for a mission trip to Malawi.  When I come back, I have 5 days before a team from California arrives and then a week after they leave before I leave for the States.  I am very well aware of the fast approaching deadlines.

I started the week thinking of Mary and Martha.  You know, Mary and Martha from Luke 10:38-42?  When Jesus stopped by their home, Mary sat at Jesus’ feet listening to all he had to say, probably hanging on his every breath and word that came out of his mouth.  I visualize her sitting on the floor at his feet looking up at him with joy and wonder showing in her face.  During which time Martha, her sister, was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.  After all, Jesus was in their living room!  And I’m guessing that all those pesky disciples where there too.  She had tons to do, to serve him as he should be served.  But that darn Mary (I wonder if she was the little sister…hummm) was sitting there slaking off, visiting with Jesus.  So, I imagine, Martha played the part of the martyr keeping her anger pent up inside her until she couldn’t take it anymore.  Then she went to Jesus and asked him: “Lord, don’t you care that Mary has left me to do all the work?  Tell her to help me!”  But Jesus answered “Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.  Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”  I could hear the Lord saying to me on Monday “Christine, don’t worry about all that needs to be finished before you go.  Don’t be Martha, make time to be Mary.”  So I started my week really wanting a balance between being Mary and Martha.  I can’t just be Mary because there are things that must get done, but I don’t want those precious, personal, important moments to pass me by because I’m so busy attending to my to do list and being very overwhelmed.

I had worked most of Sunday getting organized for the week so that I wouldn’t be so rushed.  Monday started off good.  I was behind a bit on my schedule, to start with, but all was good.  I went to a store (Ackermans) in downtown Manzini to try and buy 83 pairs of school shoes and twice that many socks.  I knew it would take awhile, so I gave the store clerk my list of sizes and styles of shoes I wanted and then went to do some errands around town.  I also went to a few other stores to check their prices against Ackerman’s even though Ackermans has been very good in the past about returning shoes if they don’t fit.  I took my time and returned to Ackermans about an hour or so later.  The clerk was overwhelmed and the store manager was basically useless, but the employees can’t do anything without her approval.  So I calmly rolled up my sleeves and started helping while he called to the only other Ackermans in Swaziland up in Mbabane to see if they had any of the sizes and styles of shoes I wanted.  The clerk and I finally got as many shoes as they had in stock that I could use and as many socks in the sizes I needed and headed to the cash register.  The manager was freaking out and complaining about how much work it would be and how tired and hungry she was and that she had the flu.  (They call everything the flu.)  Her employees were rolling their eyes as she kept complaining.  I kept calm and peaceful even though I hadn’t had lunch either.  I organized everything for them and helped them with as much as I could do remaining quite cheerful and thankful every step of the way.  I even apologized to their other customers and kept my stuff out of their way as much as possible.  We finished about 4:30 in the afternoon.  I had been at this task for 6 hours!  No matter.  All was good and I was praising God for it going as smooth as it did.

I went to bed a little earlier than usual that night because I was getting up early the next morning to go to Nelsprit, South Africa with Thoko, Thini and Sibongile to buy 72 jerseys (sweaters), 45 track suits (sweat suits), and 95 trousers and shirts.  The day started out early and we were almost on our target departure time.  We had a great ride to Nelsprit.  When we got there I took them to Mugg and Bean for “tea” and something to eat before the big job ahead of us.  They were overwhelmed in the restaurant.  They had never been to a place like that so they had no idea what to order.  It was cute.  The three of them ordered the same thing!  We had a nice visit while eating.  Then we headed to the store to get the school uniforms.  I had called the day before, so most of the jerseys and track suits were set out for us.  We just had to make decisions on some of the sizes based on quantity of stock.  No sweat.

When finished with the track suits and jerseys we moved over to find school trousers and shirts for the boys on our list.  We anticipated this was going to be a nightmare because we had the boys measurements, not their sizes.  We had to measure the pants to see what size would probably fit what boy.  It was a rocky beginning, but we finally came to an agreement on how to tackle the task and finished very quickly.  By the time we finally got my credit card to go through, we had been in the store for only 3 hours.  We were praising God for blessing us so.  From there, I took the ladies to McDonalds for dinner before heading home.  McDonalds was another new and very foreign experience to them.  I’m not sure they really liked it, but they did like trying some of the food we eat in America.  I had to confess to them that now that my kids are grown, the only time I eat at McDonalds is when I am in South Africa!

The ride back to the border went smoothly.  It was almost dark when we started (It is winter here), and the road goes through some mountains so there are a lot of twists and turns, but all in all it went well and we made good time.  We were enjoying out time together.  We got to the South Africa side of the border about 7:15 or so.  We rushed through immigration, but when we went to go to the border gate, they asked to look in the boot (the back of the truck) and asked me if I had a receipt, which I did.  But when he saw the amount, he made me go back to this little shack (literally, a wooden shack) to have them fill out customs forms.  I was not happy.  I immediately turned into Dr. Jekyl.  I waited in line quietly but with a very angry look on my face for an hour and had to pay R130 just for them just to fill out the forms.  I amused myself by looking at the maize power cords all plugged into the same outlet, wishing I could take a picture to send to my IBM friends as another example of what NOT to do!

We crossed through the border into Swaziland and was immediately faced with a parking jam because there are very few parking spaces and no order or courtesy.  But we got through immigration in probably less than a minute.  Immigration in Swaziland is much, much more efficient than in South Africa.  But then I had to go through Swaziland’s customs.  Let the nightmare begin.  There is absolutely no order – no lines, no signs, no one willing to answer questions or help you; nothing except a lot of pushing and shoving.  I was there almost 2 hours before I could finally muscle my way to a customs person.  He filled out my papers without saying a word to me.  Then, as he is handing them back to me he asks what I am going to do with the uniforms.  I tell him I am giving them to OVCs at some of the Methodist Schools I visit.  He tells me I can’t do that without being registered.  So I tried a different approach and told him I was a missionary with the Methodist church and I was sure they were registered.  So he says I should have filled the form out in my name and I should have gone to another counter.  I make the mistake of not just saying, “thank you, I’m sorry it won’t happen again, sir.”  We bantered back and forth until I finally totally blew it, raised my voice and said “so you are telling me that I can’t buy uniforms for kids that need them without being registered to do so with the government because the government wants to know everything that is given out?  That is absolutely stupid.”  That really made him mad.  He said he wasn’t going to let me talk to him that way” and walked off.  I thought uh-oh, he’s going to detain me and I quickly prayed for forgiveness, help, and for the Lord to shut my mouth!  Finally another person in the crowd told me to take the forms to the next pool of people fighting to pay their custom tax.  I waited there for another hour or so.  (I’m sure he buried my form at the bottom of the file.)  Basically when there were only about 10 people left waiting in the crowd the clerk finally called me to pay the same tax I had already paid in South Africa.  We left the border at 11:00 PM.  The border closes at 10:00.

I had to take all three women home because they don’t have vehicles and there is no transport that late at night.  By the time I got to driving through the dark countryside on the dirt roads to Thoko’s house, I had calmed down and so I kept reminiscing about my first trips there and the times I got lost.  It was a precious trip down memory lane and quite a learning experience for Sibongile.  I got home at 12:55 AM.

I got up still tired and drove up to Mbabane.  I am house-sitting for a friend and her husband for 5 days while they are away on vacation.  I’m really there so their teenage daughter isn’t staying there by herself. I spent most of the day on Wednesday at the Sandra Lee Center playing with the kids and reading books to them.  It was a nice way to relax and get over my stress.  I was back in Mary mode.  Late in the afternoon I realized I had to go to Ackermans to get the shoes they were holding for me.  After an hour and a half, I finally had the shoes and some socks and went “home” to my friend’s house.

Thursday morning I got up early and headed down to Manzini for a day full of tasks Thoko and I had planned.  I was still hoping it would be a busy but relaxing day. Well, surprise, surprise. It was not a good day.  It started off great.  I got some things done on the computer before heading down to Manzini.  Then I dropped off the shoes I bought at my place and went to St. Paul’s office to see what the progress was on the ladies sewing the girls’ uniforms for me.  St. Paul’s started a sewing project in 2009 or 2010 to sew church uniforms and school uniforms.  The profits are supposed to go to their Mission fund to help out those in need.  I really wanted St. Paul’s to sew the girls uniforms for me even though there prices are a bit high in my opinion.  I gave them the number of uniforms and sizes the first week of June and we set a deadline of June 23^rd.  I knew they hadn’t started by June 23^rd, and had heard rumors that they had and had not started on Monday, June 27^th.  Thoko and I thought I should go see for myself what the story was.  It was not good.  A few uniforms had been cut out, but that was about it. I was furious to say the least.  I was angry with the secretary for not staying on top of it and updating me as I had asked.  I was angry at the ladies who weren’t coming in basically because of their feeble attempt to strike for better pay.  I was especially angry because one of the sewing ladies also helps us with Lutsandvo Lwa Krestu and was with us when we measured the kids on May 31^st!  Sadly, I must confess that Mary was long forgotten.  Martha was still struggling to keep her head above water.  Even Dr. Jekyl had been replaced.  Now I felt like the girl possessed by the devil in the old movie “Nightmare on Elm Street.”  I don’t remember the girl’s name, but when the priest came to exorcise the devil from her body, she sat up in bed, her eyes bugging out, and her head spinning round and round while vomiting out what looked like pea soup.  I wasn’t spitting out pea soup, but I was spitting out a bunch of words and I definitely felt like her.

I left St. Paul’s on my way to do whatever I was supposed to do before picking up Thoko in town.  I stopped by the post office to see what had happened to a package that had been mailed to me before the end of May.  While in line Rev. Nyameka came in and got in life after me.  I’m sure he wasn’t thrilled when he heard and saw how angry I was.  But he also knew how frustrated I was because I really wanted to give the sewing project my business, but I was supposed to be delivering the first 20 uniforms this coming Tuesday.  In addition, I am physically out of time to get these delivered because it’s not a simple task.  He listened and we talked about it.  He is very frustrated and angry as well.

I left the post (with package in hand!) feeling a bit calmer and went to pick up Thoko.  I needed to go to the restroom and I thought we could both use a cup of Rooibos tea to soothe our souls.  So we stopped by Baker’s Corner to use their restroom and get tea and a snack to go.  Thoko decided she wanted a piece of chocolate cake.  So I joined her. (It was a tough job, but someone had to do it!).  We ended up sitting in Baker’s Corner eating and enjoying the cake and talking about the uniforms, a plan, etc.  But it was good and I felt much better afterwards. Yes, Mary WAS miraculously still barely alive in me.  Our plans for the day were going to be shot, but the first priority was to find a solution to the uniform problem so we wouldn’t have to face some very disappointed girls on Tuesday.  We went to one place she knew of that was right near Baker’s Corner.  The lady we talked to, Make Nkosi)  was actually a member of St. Paul’s and went to the 8:00 service so she recognized me and I her.  But her prices were even higher than St. Paul’s and she insisted she needed at least two weeks to do the 20 uniforms.  In addition, she wouldn’t entertain doing a smaller number that I could have in a week.  But as Thoko was going through the discussions with Make Nkosi I went to the car to make calls to get to the bottom of what was happening with St. Paul’s sewing project.  (They were rumors and untruths being told by one person to all of us.  It was good I confronted and called her on it.)  Meanwhile, Thoko was also sending a text message to a lady who had sewn some uniforms for us in 2009.  She said she would work night and day to get the 20 uniforms done by Tuesday and her price worked out to be at least 40R cheaper per uniform than either St. Paul’s quotation or this other lady.

So, Thoko and I left Make Nkosi’s sewing shop and headed to Phumapile’s place.  She ran up and greeted us with the biggest smile you could ever imagine.  She was so happy to see both of us and to have our business.  Her smile was priceless and we felt very confident based on the work she had done for us in the past that she would deliver well sewn uniforms as promised.  Thoko and I were praising God over and over again.  Thoko asked her to figure out how much material she would need so we could buy it later in the afternoon.  First we had to go talk to a painter who had been waiting on us for two hours.

So now to the new painter – Babe Sifundza.  He is going to be the painter for the church at Mahlatsini.  We asked him to come see Mthokozisi’s house and give us an estimate of what needs to be done and how much it would cost to finish the house.  The previous painter, Masebenta, had never finished painting and what he did do was not very nice.  Some of the fault was the builder’s, Sipho, for not doing a good job of finishing the building before painting.  But at any rate, it had to be done correctly, and though I was going to try and do it, the reality is, I didn’t have time.  Babe Sifundza seemed like a very nice, knowledgeable painter.  I let Thoko do all the talking, and most of it was in SiSwati, but I could tell by what I did understand and by his gesturing that he was pointing out all the things I had listed as needing to be corrected or finished.  I did talk to him a bit about a few things and he said yes it needed to be done and told me how he would fix it.  His quotation for labor was very reasonable.  Once again, I was praising God for this second earthly angel and I was standing firm that I wasn’t going to allow the past experiences rob me of my faith.

Unfortunately, at some point, the younger father to Mthokozisi (his father’s youngest brother – Mtghokozisi’s uncle) came to unload on Thoko.  He was telling her all kinds of stories and complaining about the kid’s behavior and how he doesn’t want the mother to come back and stay but if she does, she can’t sleep in the new house, etc.  He just kept going on and on.  Thoko was very upset.  We talked about it most of the way back to Manzini.  We couldn’t do much more because her phone and the Lutsandvo Lwa Krestu phone were both out of airtime and my phone’s battery was almost dead.  We quickly stopped to get airtime for Thoko so we could be back in business and then hurriedly headed to the material store where Phumapile was supposed to meet us because it was 4:45.  Stores close at 5:00.  Bless this angel’s heart, she had the material all measured and cut with an invoice waiting for us to pay.  She then took us around the corner to buy the buttons.  Plus, she had worked out a discount for us so the material was about 200 – 300 R less than we expected!

Our Thursday was a very stressful day and we felt like we had been on an emotional rollercoaster ride all day.  We didn’t get to other important things we had hoped to do, but we attended to the priorities.  Except for the St. Paul’s sewing project status which was still uncertain, we finished on a high note. However, we were both very, very drained.  I still had to drive back to Mbabane and make sure my friends daughter was ok and get dinner on the table for both of us.  All was well, and it was nice to have someone to talk about my day with and also to listen to how her day went.

Friday morning, I got up and had to make several calls to get progress reports on the other projects (Mahlatsini and the electric pump for Salukazi’s borehole), buy the paint for Mthokozisi’s house and buy approximately 180 pairs of underpants for the kids who are getting school uniforms.  Then Thoko and I were going to quickly take the paint out to Mthokozisi’s house and be done by 1:00 or 2:00.  I was planning on being back in Mbabane between 2:00 and 3:00.  I found myself working off two laptops, mine and the one that belongs to the people whose house I am staying in, while making phone calls at the same time.  Shades of IBM.  I quickly headed to the paint store on my way to Manzini.  It of course wasn’t simple, and it took me an hour to buy the paint.  Then I had to go to CashBuild to order materials needed to finish Mahlatsini.  Thoko and finally headed out to Mthokozisi’s house about 1:00.  We delivered the paint, found out a decision we had made about a color was incorrect, but it was all good because I had enough paint on site for the painter to start Monday morning and I had the advice of a knowledgeable trusted man about what to get and where to get it.  Plus I then knew what paint I needed to buy for Mahlatsini.  We were actually able to buy the paint needed before leaving Manzini so we are prepared to take it out next week.

I stopped by the grocery store on the way to Mbabane to buy groceries for dinner and while there I ran into Absalom who is the Church’s trust property committee’s lead and the person working with the congregation at Mahlatsini to get it finished before it’s dedicated on July 23^rd.  It was perfect timing because I had the quotation from Babe Sifundza for Mahlatsini!  My week was topped off with a phone call from my dear friend and spiritual sister in Round Rock and then a good night’s sleep full of sweet, sweet dreams.  Selah. (pause, or breathe in, breath out)

It’s been a tough week.  I feel now like it’s back to just a struggle between doing everything that needs to be done (Martha) versus taking the time to savor those special moments (Mary).  I am praying Dr. Jekyl and the girl on Elm Street have disappeared for good.  I have two weeks left to get most everything project wise done.  But I feel hopeful now that we can get the uniforms done in time for me to deliver them before I go to Malawi.  And that I can schedule in time the week of July 18^th to rest a bit and spend some quality time with Thoko talking about the future of One Child at a Time, One Heart at a Time in Swaziland when I leave and making sure she feels confident that she has all she needs to be our hands and feet in Swaziland while I am in the US.  We also want to spend some time just being sisters.  I am also hoping I can spend some quality time with the kids at Sandra Lee Center and attend my Wednesday morning bible study.  I can do all things thru Christ who gives me strength.  I am going to try much harder to keep Christ as my focus and let the other things work out according to His plans.

One thing I forgot.  Because Phumapile and Babe Sifundza have charged so little labor costs, if they finish on time, I will get them a bonus.  Even though I am in a time crunch, I can’t take advantage of them but yet I don’t want to tell them their prices are too low.  I’d rather keep their wages low and try the incentive way of doing business.  After four years here you’d think I could figure out what works!!!

This afternoon I am heading to a 4^th of July celebration at one of the hotels for all the Americans.  It may be the last time I see some of these folks before leaving for the States.  Enjoy the 4^th of July.  Let us all remember what this holiday signifies and say a prayer of thanks and of concern for this great nation of ours.  God bless America the land that I love.  And God bless Swaziland and the land and people that I also love.

I hope you all have a blessed week full of “Mary” times.