Our time in Swaziland was precious. Stan and Sue, the missionaries we met five years ago, continue to be a blessing to everyone around them daily. We were privileged to spend more time with them this time since there wasn’t a big team with us, and we were amazed by the way they respond to so many needs on a continual basis.
Sue made several meals for us--she’s the “hostess with the mostest!” We felt extremely spoiled from her ministrations of love! Many of you have read the Gary Chapman book about the five love languages, and I believe Sue walks in all of them!
We also had the tremendous experience of hearing Stan preach two Sundays, and we ended up ordering his entire tape series from the book of Philippians! Powerful teaching that is changing lives!
Two things especially stand out from our time with this godly couple. First was meeting Lucky, one of the young men a church in Philadelphia is sponsoring. Lucky is a twenty year old young man who is in classes equivalent to our 9th grade. (This is common in Africa since so many children are unable to attend school regularly.) Lucky accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior when he was seven years old, but he was out of church for ten years because the leader of his church regularly beat the congregants. He wanted nothing to do with church after his horrid experiences there. When he was 17 years old, however, he was desperate and attended a tent crusade that Stan and Sue brought to the area. Lucky made a decision to follow God with all his heart at that time, and he is still faithfully serving the Lord! This was a confirmation to us that the ministry we’re supporting in Swaziland is about so much more than simply educating or feeding children; it’s about giving them eternal hope and life through Jesus Christ! Truly, destinies are being changed!
The other was meeting Mavis, the Drew’s domestic worker. She was married to a man with several wives. The normal payment for a wife is 15 cows, but he only gave one apron for the “right” to marry Mavis. This man mistreated her horribly and finally sent her away from his homestead. She was so beaten down and hungry with her two children when Sue interviewed her for the position in their home that it really didn’t make any sense for them to hire her especially since she had no experience as a housekeeper. But the Lord was moving as He gave Sue a glimpse of Mavis’s heart, and she has been with them for several months. Along with being a quick learner of domestic duties, Mavis is also learning of her value in God’s eyes as she drinks in the love and acceptance she has found in the Drew’s home. Sue is patiently teaching Mavis God’s ways, and we were extremely touched to see the shining smile on her face as she went about her duties. God is faithful, and Tracy and I were blessed to see the way Stan and Sue are touching lives at home, too, not just at church or in official ministry positions. That’s the way it’s supposed to be!
Of course, we thoroughly enjoyed our time with the children at Hope House, along with Pastor Lewis, Maggie, and their family. One of the greatest joys was seeing how the older boys are taking leadership positions in the church. One of them, Colane, was my interpreter on Sun. morning, and I’ve never worked with one more passionate and easy to flow with. He used exactly the same inflections in his voice that I used, and he even mirrored many of my gestures. AMAZING! Others are involved with the worship team and helping with the younger boys. We were pleased with the growth we see in their lives. There are eight new children awaiting sponsorship at Hope House.
We also took a trip into Mvujini where we met two extremely needy families, if that term can be used to describe children living alone with no adults in the picture. These households are loosely called “the five” and “the nine” to identify the number of children living in each one.
The first household is a sibling group of five children whose parents are both deceased. Their mother died in 2003; their father in 2004. The saddest thing to me was seeing the way the items on the shelves were left exactly like they were before the parents died; a large boom box sits on one shelf gathering dust. The batteries to operate it died long ago. A phone rests on the next shelf, never hooked up for service. Beside that is the knick knack shelf their mother once took pride in. The sofa and love seat were both filled with many cracks in the leather; thankfully one church has given the children new furniture and hopefully the old items will be thrown away. Their dad had a car, which neighboring people stripped completely of anything useful. Many things have been stolen from these defenseless children. The church added two rooms to the simple structure so that the children won’t all have to sleep in one room together. Both the 18 and 16 year olds are in 9th grade equivalent during the day, leaving the three younger ones at home alone since they can’t afford tuition. When we arrived, the 14 year old was making a pot of rice over a gas burner while the 11 and 9 year olds looked on. Probably the reason the shell of a house was so haunting is because it mirrored the children’s eyes. My heart will never be the same.
“The nine” is a group of siblings and cousins who are being primarily raised by the 22 year old who had just learned she had passed her testing for completing high school. The others are aged 17, 16, 10, 10, 9, 7, 5, and 15 months. Five of them are in school, though far below grade level for their ages since funding is sporadic. There are two women from Stan and Sue’s church who have been leading others in reaching out to both of these households, and we can only imagine what their lives would be like without the loving influence of these godly women. We will be looking for sponsors for all of the school-aged children in these two homes.
We also visited what we call the squatter’s camp in Manzini where Pastor Sambo continues to teach preschool and reach out to that community. This is a section of land the government designated for people with no home to congregate. Pastor Sambo moved his own family in so that he could best identify with and speak into other families there. One bright spot for his little congregation and school is the keyboard we provided for them last year. He keeps it locked up when it’s not being used, but he was eager to bring it out so I could take pictures! We also got photos of 17 children who need sponsors; this is just a start, but it’s a good one.
In this culture, the grandparents expect that as they age, their children and grandchildren will care for them; in Swaziland, where they suffer the highest incidence of HIV/AIDS in the world, life has played a cruel joke on them. Not only do they have no one to care for them, but they find themselves rearing all of their grandchildren, trying to find enough food for them, hoping to send them to school, fighting disease in their own bodies as well as the many grandchildren, who like their deceased parents, also have contracted HIV/AIDS. Caring for the needs of the go-gos, or grandmothers, is an effective use of our ministry dollars because if they can stay healthy and well-fed, there’s a much better chance that they will be able to continue to care for their grandchildren.
I was able to speak, sing, and share four times during our first week in Swaziland, and we trust that the seeds planted will take root, receive water, and grow to full fruit. During the worship service at Hope House Church, one woman was delivered of demon possession; glory to GOD in the highest, for He has overcome the wicked one! He is making every enemy His footstool!
Several of you have asked about Tracy’s health, and we greatly appreciate your prayers for him during our absence. My mother and I had been concerned even before Africa because Tracy had lost so much weight, though it’s probably just from pushing himself so hard. He was working his machinist job during the day for 10 - 11 hours, then coming home and working on the remodeling till the wee hours of the morning, getting only 4 or 5 hours of sleep a night. You just can’t do that on a regular basis and still feel well! During our trip, though, he was experiencing lots of nausea and weakness that sent him to bed several times and made him wish he was there even more often. It’s possible that part of the cause was taking his malaria meds on an empty stomach, so he has remedied that issue. He does seem to be feeling better now, and we’re praying for God’s grace since Tracy had to jump right back into the heavy workload as soon as we got home. Please continue to pray.
As for his tooth, we broke down and had him see a dentist in Swaziland since we knew medical treatment would be hard to come by in Mozambique. The dentist said the pain was coming from a tooth with a crown, and though it seemed to be “fine,” it was infected. We already had Tracy on antibiotics for possible infection, so that was good. The dentist also said the tooth had lengthened to fill in a gap in his mouth, and it was putting undue pressure on the tooth, which was causing the pain. He filed it down, which did give Tracy some relief. He’ll see his regular dentist early next week as a follow up.
The first princess told her story to an American reporter, revealing the contrasts in the way royalty lives in that kingdom while the children suffer. It’s causing quite a stir! We also read headlines about corruption in the schools so that even fees set aside by the government for educating the orphans is ending up in the hands of head school officials. (We always ask for receipts for the tuition and uniforms we provide through Grand Staff Ministries!) Corruption is everywhere.
Yet the king is protected from hearing what the true conditions are in his kingdom. Nobody wants him to be uncomfortable or concerned about anything. Lord, please penetrate through the walls that divide this kingdom!
Muslims continue to infiltrate wherever possible. As the church--the body of Christ, we simply can’t wait for a more “convenient” time to help. I believe that even during a time of economic upheaval, God will continue to provide financial seed to those who are willing to sow it into the lives of widows and orphans. Oh, how He loves that kind of religion!
I feel inadequate during this time of weakness to help you see through our eyes. We’re praying that God illuminate the eyes of your understanding while you join us in praying for individual children as well as the destiny of the entire kingdom of Swaziland. Reaching these children with the Truth is the only hope for Swaziland. It’s the only hope for any of us.
Part three to come soon!
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