Today was not really a day of rest, but we didn’t have to get up and eat breakfast at 6:00 am. We met the youth from St. Paul’s about 10:00 am. From St Paul’s, we went to Matspha and joined the youth from there. After a quick introduction, a prayer and a song we left for Mlilwane Game Reserve in Swaziland.
At the entry gate to Mlilwane Game Reserve
Zebras by the side of the road. We also saw wharthog, impala (antelope), wildebeast, crocodile, hippos at a distance and several birds
da girls
da boys
We all sat in a circle to discuss the topic of homosexuality and what the response should be by the Methodist Church in Swaziland. Up until now, this topic was not discussed openly.
After the discussion, many played games while others watched and rested. In this picture David is trying to eat the apple off the plastic strip it is tied to. The person who ate it all first won. David came in a close second.
One of the games played was called play, play, run! It is their version of "duck, duck, goose!
more "play, play, run!"
Morgan, Mthokoman, Amber ran up to see what they could see from that rock.
On the foot path to Execution Peak
We all made it to the top. This rock at the top of the mountain got it's name because before Swaziland had prisons, the King's warriors would march those condemned to death up this mountain and rock prompting them forward with the tips of their spears. They would then "encourage" the condemned person to jump.
The beautiful African Sunset guiding us back to our vehicles. Everyone that this hike was their favorite part of the day.
Everyone is tired because they have worked hard. But everyone is also having a great time. They love the kids and they love all of the new friends they have made.
VBS
VBS Craft - they are making face masks
The number of parents and community members that are coming out is absolutely amazing!
Compacting the soil before we pour the slab. Everyone who has used the "rammer" is very tired and sore tonight!
Mixing cement to finish laying the blocks and bricks of the foundation for the classroom.
The parents made lunch for us today. (I thinkg they were tired of PBJ sandwiches already!) It was mealie meal and beans in a soup/gravy that contained some vegetables.
It was another awesome day. So much was going on it will be hard to touch on it all.
Some of the team did a VBS for the kids. I was busy hiring a stamper / rammer to compact the dirt in preparation for pouring the slab so I didn’t get to join the team doing the VBS for the kids. But they told the story of Daniel to the kids and then taught them a few songs and did a simple craft. This broke through the shyness so much so that the kids didn’t want to go home after school!
Others worked on the foundation. I am so impressed at how much work has been done and also how many parents and community members have come to help. We had about 40 parents and community members at the work-site today. That is incredible! The teams enthusiasm and love are very contagious.
da guys
The foundation at the end of Wednesday, our first work day.
Some of the team laid blocks, other's filled the holes in the blocks with concrete. Others still were filling in the foudnation with dirt.
We hired (rented) a dirt compactor to compact the dirt after we filled it in the foundation.
Lee was a master rammer!
Amber. She may be tiny, but she is mighty!
lunch time! PBJ sandwiches..yum!
Our master brick layer!
One of the students watering his part of the garden. The children are all working to grow food that will be served with their lunch.
First, let me update you on the status of my car registration. No, it did not get it registered on Monday. The salesman from the dealership didn’t meet me at the border at 7:30 am. However, when I asked God to keep me calm, He reminded me that I never got a confirmation from Raymond (the salesman) that he would be there on Monday morning. That was what I told him I needed to have happen. And I remember that he said he would have to talk to his manager and then he’d make a plan. So I had to sheepishly admit that it was really my fault that I drove all the way to the border only to find that he wasn’t there. But, the good news is that after I wrote my blog on Sunday, I was comparing the list of what I needed in order to complete the registration process with what I had and realized I needed a income tax clearance form which can only be given out at a building in Mbabane. So on my way back to Manzini I was able to stop and get that form. And because I had gone to the border so early, I was there when the office opened. It also gave me enough time to complete some other things in a relaxed manner and leave for Johannesburg in good time so I had time to relax a bit before the team’s plane arrived. So, once again, God’s plan was better than mine.
The team arrived on time without any problems or issues. They were a bit tired but what an energetic and great bunch of young adults. We stayed the night at eMseni which is a Christian Conference complex about 10 minutes from the airport. eMseni means place of grace. The complex was built specifically to accommodate the Walk to Emmaus but it is also used for other conferences or meetings and can even be used by individual people. The really exciting thing about this is that Rev Angela (the team leader) brought a team from McNeese University to South Africa in 2006. That team prepared a berm around a man-made lake on the complex and planted olive trees and other shrubs. I happened to be in South Africa with a small team at that time. Our teams stayed at the same place and shared our evening meals.
Today was a long day of driving from eMseni to Swaziland. It took pretty much all day but we didn’t have any problems or issues. Everyone was tired. The picture below was taken this morning; their first morning in Africa! Tomorrow morning we will go up to start working at Lomngeletjane Memorial Methodist School.
The team from the Wesleyan Center at McNeese University in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
It seems like this year I am constantly apologizing for not writing a blog. For a couple of months things were very hard for me here in Swaziland. I was overwhelmed (again) by the need, somewhat discouraged, there were so many things to do and I was faced with a lot of changes. For those of you who know me well, you know that when I get overwhelmed or discouraged, I tend to withdraw into myself. Hence, writing a blog just wasn’t what I could do. I couldn’t find the words to write about my challenges and frustration without my emotional and spiritual health showing through the words. So instead of writing a blog, I turned my focus and concerns on God. I dove deep into the Word, completing two bible studies (Beth Moore’s study on “Esther” and Priscilla Shirer’s study on “Discerning the Voice of God”) and focusing on writing in my prayer journal. I talk to God a lot; not necessarily long prayers, but a lot of short ones. But when I really need to pour my heart and soul out to God, for me writing my prayers in a journal is the most intimate way of communicating with God. Those of you who know me well, you also know that while I can type anything very fast, I do not like to handwrite anything. But when it comes to my special communication with God, it has to be in my own handwriting and then the words just flow. So I am sorry that my blog suffered, but I am so thankful for my time with the Lord. I’m even more thankful for all of the blessings he has poured out on me and those I work with and/or love. What seemed so overwhelming and discouraging in March and the beginning of April became obvious works of the Lord in the later part of April and so far in May. It is almost like the Lord is blessing me even more because I didn’t give up or try to do things all on my own, but instead, I turned to Him for comfort, guidance and strength. These last three months have been quite a journey but it has been worth every minute of it to feel God’s unfailing love, realize his grace and be witness to his power every step of the way.
The blessings are too many to share, but let me share the biggest one…well, one of the biggest ones. It certainly was a situation that was causing me to be overwhelmed and discouraged and I couldn’t figure out what to do. And that would be the situation with my car. If you are a long time reader of my blog, you know that I use and abuse my vehicle. It is really the heart of my ministry and one of my life lines. When I left Swaziland last December to go to the States for the holidays, I knew that I couldn’t ignore it anymore. My car was just not safe to drive and the problem had to do with the same suspension and alignment issues that I have had fixed three times since coming to Swaziland. I had some work done on it in March to get me through until I could find a new vehicle, but in the last couple of weeks I could tell the repairs weren’t going to be enough to make the vehicle road worthy on the roads I drive on. I had to admit I needed a newer and more reliable vehicle. I came back to Swaziland hopeful that the Lord would guide me to the right vehicle. However, once I got back on African soil, my faith wavered a bit as I started looking for a new vehicle. There were very few vehicles like I wanted available both in South Africa and Swaziland. And those that I did find were way, way over the upper edge of what I thought I needed to or could spend. So I started looking at vehicles that were in the same range as my Honda. But the problem with them is that they are all direct Japanese imports and had almost as many miles on them as my Honda does. Three times I started back to one place in Manzini to try and negotiate a lower price with the dealer on a Nissan X-trail that had only 6,000 km less than what my Honda has. Each time at the last minute I changed my mind. On the third time, I felt there were no other options so I was just going to go do it. I was almost to the dealer when I heard that quiet but firm voice say “No. Go to Nelspruit.” I felt a bit like Peter when he denied Christ three times, but was so glad for God’s grace and intervention. So I called my friend Mary Beth to see if she could come with me on Monday. She was able to come with me which was such a blessing. We went to every dealer we could find. Finally at the last one, we told the Salesman what I was looking for and he pointed to a 2004 Nisson Hardbody double cab 4×4 Bakkie (pickup truck). I said sure I’d look at it, but thought for sure it was like all the others, more than I could afford especially because it looked in better condition that what I’d seen so far. The salesman opened the door for me to sit in it while he explained some of the features. When I asked the price it was right in the middle of what I thought I could pay and the number of kilometers was low. Both Mary Beth and I felt a peace come over us as soon as we looked at the truck. I put a deposit on the truck that day (Monday).
But of course, this is Africa. Nothing is simple or goes according to what one’s plan is. Handling financial matters in Africa is one of the most frustrating things there is. I had asked the salesman if I could put part of the truck price on my American Express card. He checked and came back and said no, but that I could put it on a MasterCard or Visa card. (Ok. I have them.) So I started withdrawing my daily limit on my ATM card from the States trying to collect as much cash as possible. The rest I would put on my debit card and my MasterCard. I had a plan. On Thursday two other missionaries were going to Nelspruit for the day, so I went with them to purchase the truck. Surprise. I could only put 10,000 rand on a credit card (about $1300.) and they wouldn’t let me use more than one card. OK, another reminder that not everyplace in the world operates as we do in the States. I told the salesman that the US banks wouldn’t care how much you put on a credit card. It just means more interest for them, which of course isn’t a stellar example of our practices since we’ve been the leader of the financial crisis in the world. So now off to plan C.
I had money wire transferred over from the States. We went through a fire drill trying to get the process started while I was still in Nelspruit because it was early in the day for the US. But all of our hard work didn’t help. The money didn’t come out of my account until Friday afternoon in the US. I just kept withdrawing as much cash as I could out of my savings account in the US. Finally on Thursday of this week, more missionary friends were going to Nelspruit for a Doctor’s appointment. I went with them. It has been a week, and although the money had been taken from my account on the previous Friday, it still wasn’t in the bank account of the Car dealership. It was sitting in the Bank’s head office in Johannesburg. (grrr) So I talked to the Sales Manager and he went to talk to the bank, and to make a long story a bit shorter, I was able to pay for the car and take it back to Swaziland Thursday evening.
However, (remember, this is Africa; there is always a however.) the salesman had to come meet me at the border Friday morning so he could fill out export papers and get a border police clearance for the vehicle. Police clearance is nothing more than physically looking at the engine number and chassis number to make sure they match the paper work so they know the car isn’t stolen. We were going to meet at the border at 7:30 am. It took the salesman 2 hours to get the paperwork done, printed, approved and the vehicle cleared by the police. But he handled it all. I just sat and read a book. It was such a blessing to have him do it for me. After the border my plan was to get the car registered in Swaziland in a record breaking one day. I went to the reveue office to pay for the police clearance in Swaziland. Then when I got to the Manzini police station for them, they said there was one “yellow piece of paper” that the dealership didn’t give me. It turns out it is the transfer of ownership document from the dealer, the owner, to me, the buyer. But the police officer also told me that I needed to pay the import tax on the vehicle before they could do a police clearance anyway. So I went and paid 14% tax on the vehicle. But now I will have to meet the salesman again at the border at 7:30 in the morning to get that piece of paper. Then go back to Manzini (about 50 – 60 minutes from the border) to get the police clearance, go to another town to get a vehicle inspection, then go back to the revenue office to pay the registration fees and turn in all the forms and then finally go to the place where they make the license plates. And I need to get all of this finished before I have to leave Swaziland by about noon to drive to Johnanesburg to pick up our team from the Wesleyan Center at McNeese University in Lake Charles, LA that arrives tomorrow evening. Think I can make it??? Of course I can. This entire car thing has been orchestrated by God and if God is for me, who can be against me?
I must also say that the car salesman and the manager of the sales department were both extremely helpful and sympathetic. I have never received such good service anywhere, even in the US. I had a lot of time to talk to the salesman and found that he is a Christian. We had great conversations about the affects of Apratheid, the pitfalls of having a King, etc. I was so grateful to them both for keeping me informed of what was going on and for trying their best to get the vehicle to me as quick as possible.
My Texas truck (even if it isn't a Ford or Chevy) in Swaziland! Yebo!
So, tomorrow evening the team arrives. We will spend the night at emseni, a Christian retreat center near the Johannesburg airport. Then we will drive to Swaziland on Tuesday morning. On Wednesday we will go up to Lomngeletjane. The team will be in Swaziland from Tuesday. May 19th until Friday June 4th. Stay tuned for stories and pictures of their time in Swaziland.
I’m sorry it has been so long since I’ve posted a blog. It’s been a tough transition coming back to Swaziland this year. It seems like everywhere we turn there’s an issue or someone closes the door in our face. I know that is not really true, but some days it seems that way. So I have struggled to figure out the words to convey in a somewhat positive light what has been going on. And now I am so far behind that I don’t know where to start. I guess I must start somewhere so here goes.
Remember Nomile? She is the 2 1/2 year old little girl who had been abused and neglected by her gogo (grandmother) and was in the hospital for about 3 weeks before I left for the US. The last post I did of her was on November 24, 2009 at http://chrisinswaziland.blogspot.com. Nomile had gotten so much better and was ready to leave the hospital. The day before I left Swaziland to come back to the US for Christmas, I took a social worker (who knew none of the history of Nomile) to Thoko’s house and they walked to Nomile’s grandparent’s homestead to have a meeting with the grandparents to observe the homestead and get their consent to put her in a home. When they got to the grandparent’s homestead, both grandparents were not at home and refused to talk to the social worker. The rural health motivator for their area was at the homestead. She told the social worker that the grandparents had given the child to her. Evidently heated words were exchanged between Thoko and the rural health motivator so the meeting ended. The social worker said Nomile would be returned to the grandparents and if the grandparents wanted to give the child to the rural health motivator they would have to go to the police station and fill out an affidavit to that effect. The social worker, Thoko and the rural health motivator walked back to Thoko’s house so I could take the social worker back to Manzini. Thoko was also coming because we had a lot of things to finish up before I could leave at 8:00 the next morning to catch my plane in Johannesburg. The rural health motivator wanted a ride to her homestead. Believe me, I didn’t want to give her a ride, but the Holy Spirit intervened and reminded me to have a Christian spirit. But The Holy Spirit also prompted me to say very clearly in a voice loud enough that they could hear in the back seat that I was done with Nomile. I said I wasn’t going to pay one more dime for anything for her. Needless to say Thoko and I were speechless, shocked and extremely angry.
When we got back to Manzini, I went to tell the Dr. that she would be going back to the grandparents. He just looked at me and said “you can’t let that happen. She will be dead in 6 months.” I told him I couldn’t do anything about it and just broke down and cried. Then he REALLY didn’t know what to do! I also went to talk to the social worker. She didn’t go into the office but went directly to lunch. However, another social worker was in the office and she is the one Thoko and I had talked to many times about Nomile. Once again when I told her the other social worker was returning her to her grandparents I just broke down and cried. She held me and I cried and cried and then I had to leave.
I had no choice but to put Nomile into God’s hands because I was leaving the next morning. God had plans. I don’t really know what events happened or in what time frame because I was in the US, but the grandfather came into the social welfare office at the hospital and signed away their rights to Nomile. He said she couldn’t come back to their homestead or to the community or she would be harmed. The one social worker that we had been talking to knew that I knew a woman in Mbabane that had a home for abused, orphaned or abandoned kids (The Sandra Lee Center.) She had just sent the little girl in the crib next to Nomile to her home. So arrangements were made to send Nomile there as well. Nomile had to stay in the hospital until January because Robin, the woman who runs the home in Mbabane had already told most of the staff that they could go home for the holidays.
In March, I went up to the home and visited with Robin and Nomile. Robin said it took Nomile awhile to warm up to people but that she is a sweetheart and was adjusting and getting along fine. She had a new little friend that is in the same group home with her. Nomile was quiet with me, but did let me hold her right away. I took her to play in the yard and she wandered around so free. She climbed the slide and laughed when she came down and when I put her on the swing, she knew how to hold on and tried to pump a little. It was such a blessing.
Nomile from 11-10-09 to 12-1-09
Nomile playing at her new home, the Sandra Lee Center in Mbabane:
Nomile climing up the slide. It's amazing how quickly kids learn to do this!
Nomile loved the see-saw. (Do they still call it that?)
Nomile climing up the slide. It’s amazing how quickly kids learn to do this!
Nomile loved the see-saw. (Do they still call it that?)
Nomile and her new “sisters.” The little one on the left is the one that was at the hospital in Manzini with Nomile.
“We’ll sort it out” is one of the favorite, often used expressions used in Swaziland. I realized this morning that this phrase describes perfectly what I have been doing since coming back to Swaziland. It has been a rough re-entry back into Swaziland this year. I think one of the reasons is that I came back pretty tired from the last couple of weeks in the U.S. and then Christopher, Jen and I spent basically a week driving around South Africa and Swaziland before they had to leave. We only had two days in Swaziland and in those two days I was completely overwhelmed with all of the updates on needs and things that couldn’t be resolved for one reason or another while I was in the U.S. I was emotionally and physically drained at the end of those two days in Swaziland.
Another reason was that there were several things that needed to be sorted out and unfortunately, they continue to need sorting out. There are a lot of changes going on this year (more on that sometime in the future). Between the needs and the changes I had a brief little melt down and then remembered that I don’t have to know how things will be sorted out, that is God’s job. Returning my focus on the Lord I was able loose the panic and feel the peace and then I started making sure I got some rest, started eating better, and focused on taking on one thing at a time. There is still much to be sorted out, but I am remembering the words “Kancane, Kancane” (Siswati for bit by bit.)
Most of the programs kept going while I was gone. Thoko managed Lutsandvo Lwa Krestu and with the help of Thini, Gladys and Dumsile where able to get the kids to Baylor at RFM in Manzini each month for their monthly medication. The other issues with the kids we will tackle as we can.
One of the issues I am trying to sort out is my vehicle. It is unsafe to drive very far so it is limiting what I can do. (Richard in South Africa loaned me his truck while Christopher and Jen were here so we didn’t have to deal with my car.) On Monday, 3-15 I took it to a mechanic I used last year. He said the upper control arms on each side needed to be replaced. I replaced them one year ago. The owner of the service shop called the parts store and was assured they had them but that they needed to see the vehicle to make sure they ordered the correct part. So I slowly and carefully drove to Mbabane to get the parts. Clearly the people that came out to look at the car didn’t have a clue what they were looking at. So I bought what they assured me was the correct part. I took it back to the mechanic and got a ride from a friend (Julie) back to Manzini. Early Tuesday morning the owner of the shop called me again and said the part was wrong. It was too short. He wanted me to go back to the parts store and take the old part with me to exchange it. I told him I didn’t have transport so he had his receptionist drive to pick me up, and then he let me use his vehicle to drive to Mbabane and get the correct part. After much discussion and many phone calls it was determined that parts stock was marked with the wrong part number. They thought they had the issue solved and ordered the part again to be here the next day. So, Wednesday, which is my bible study day, I had to “make a plan” (another favorite Swazi saying) to go get the part. I had a great plan. Julie said she’d give me a ride to bible study which is about half-way to Mbabane. Then I would get a ride to Mbabane after bible study with another woman who lives in Mbabane (Monica). I’d get the correct part and then hitch a ride back to the auto repair shop to drop off the part and then to Manzini with yet another friend from Bible Study (Jacci) that was going to be coming to St. Paul’s to have a meeting. The plan almost worked – except we forgot about the lunch hour which made it too late for Jacci to be to her meeting on time. But at the last minute, as I’m beginning to panic, Jacci remembered that yet another woman from bible study (Jodi) who lives in Manzini was going to have lunch in Mbabane and SKYPE her mom. So I called Jodi and she was more than willing to bring me back to Manzini after I exchanged the part. So, after waiting for the parts store to open up again after lunch, we discovered that the incorrect part was shipped again. Obviously I wasn’t a happy camper but neither were they. The owner of the store was really angry and did his best to try and figure out what the problem was. He also called several of his suppliers and asked them to go physically check their parts to find the longer one for the Honda CRV. I was getting concerned that I was holding Jodi up, so he told me to go and that he would call me back in 30 minutes and tell me for sure if one of the two vendors who said they had them, actually did have the correct one. Of course the longer ones were more expensive, but he was also trying to get me a lower price. I of course could have cared less at this point about the cost. I just wanted the parts, but I did appreciate his efforts. So I walked a couple of blocks to where Jodi was. As it turned out, Jodi wasn’t getting as much done on the internet as she had hoped because her 5 ½ month old baby wasn’t cooperating. So I was able to help her out by taking her sweet baby girl and walking her around while her mom did what she needed to do on the internet. What she thought was a blessing to her was really a huge blessing to me. The baby and I had a great long talk about cars, parts, life in Swaziland, mommas, daddies, grandmas, babies and we prayed about all of those topics and we sang. She just kept chewing on her fingers and looking at everything all around her. All my troubles melted away while I was holding, patting and kissing that sweet baby girl. Her mom was able to finish and she even took me to the grocery store so I could get some food to hold me over for a few more days. The parts guy called as promised and said he can get me the correct part but it won’t arrive until Friday. So now I have to make another plan to go get the part and take it to the mechanic on Friday. This scheme will be a bit more difficult to organize.
All that ends well is well. Right? Well not quite. All ended well, but when I got home I discovered that I have no water. Not even any in the toilet tank so that means there had been no water since the morning when I last flushed the toilet just before I left for Bible Study. It’s now Thursday evening and I still don’t have any water. Ah, such is life in Swaziland. And so the challenge of reacting to all of life’s problems, big and small, in a Christian manner with the light and peace of Christ showing though continues. But the good news is, now I don’t have to worry about what am I going to do first, second or third. I’m limited to what I can do from my little place at St. Paul’s without transport or water which means I can catch up on my blogs, e-mails and other paperwork. See? Life is always full of little blessings. We just have to look for them every moment of every day.
