Africa 3: I Believe in Angels

I've always believed that God leads His people. The first time we traveled to Swaziland, Africa, in 2006, was expecting His guidance more than ever, even if it meant sending an angel to trumpet the way. My husband Tracy and I knew He was tugging on our hearts to go, but our question was whether or not He was also asking us to move to Swaziland.

I'd heard about the children orphaned by AIDS, but until I arrived, there was no way to imagine how hopeless their situation had become. Swaziland is a kingdom of about 1 million people. It has the highest incidence of AIDS in the world--some estimates are up to half the population.

During that first visit, I was shocked to see how few middle-aged adults were still living. Then stricken to learn that only one in ten children will live to be 35 years old.

The statistics were blows to my way of thinking. Over 11% of the homesteads are led by children. The parents aren't at work. They're not out of town for the weekend. They're dead. And the children fend for themselves.

That number doesn't take into account the children who are living with relatives who don't want them. Aunts and uncles who are already struggling to feed their own children. Grandmothers, called gogos, who feel life had paid a dirty trick on them, for after raising their own children and expecting to be cared for in old age, they are now raising several grandchildren while grieving for lost sons and daughters. Often they're trying to keep sick children alive with little food or medicine.

Incidences of child trafficking have skyrocketed. Vulnerable children are kidnapped on their way to school or while carrying water. They're forced into hard labor or sold to the sex trade. As much as that breaks my heart, I've been tormented even more over children who have so little self-worh that they willingly sell their bodies for one ride on the school bus.

To make a nearly hopeless situation even worse, there is much misinformation about how AIDS is spread. One myth says that having sex with a virgin will cure the AIDS, so this adds to the number of children who are raped as they cross a field on the way home from school.

The need is overwhelming, and over time I found myself tempted to think we'd never make a dent.

Then I met Angel Khoza. Her father is deceased, and there is no information available on her mother. She's living with her grandmother, who is raising many other grandchildren. But Angel smiled at me and totally melted my heart. After returning home, she was in my thoughts and prayers often. So when I went back to Swaziland this year, I searched for her in the crowds of children at the squatter's camp.

Sure enough, when she arrived, she made her way over to me for a big hug. I teased, "I know you! What's your name?" After a two year absence, I wanted to be sure I really had the right child since they change so much.

She replied with a shy smile, "Angel."

I pretended to be shocked, as though I were meeting a movie star or famous politician as I asked, "Angel Khoza?" Her mouth flew open, she squealed in delight, and she threw her arms around me in a huge hug as she propelling herself onto me. She was amazed that I really knew her. She stayed by my side for the entire visit, joyfully beaming and nearly knocking me over with continual hugs.

I couldn't help but think that if this were the only reason I returned to Africa, it would be worth the trip. Angel needed to know she was much more than just one more face in the crowd of needy children. She is known. Important. Cherished. Valued. Loved.

And as much as I remember her, how much more does our heavenly Father know and love her?

God sees all the children the same way I see little Angel. He is filled with the joy of knowing them individually. He sees calling. He sees potential. And He sees a plan to connect many of His people with these hurting children so they will also know they're loved.

He made my job clear on that first visit, and He didn't even have to send an archangel with the message. He wasn't calling me to move to Africa, but rather to share the plight of these kids with my American brothers and sisters. And while we aren't exactly "angels," He still wants to use some of us to share His message of love.

Together, we're making a difference. Over 50 children are attending school, eating regular meals, and receiving God's love because of our partners. Children sponsorship is only $25 a month. Won't you ask Him if He's calling you to be His hands and feet to His precious children in Swaziland and Mozambique?

Yes, I believe in angels. I believe in all the "Angels" in this world. And I believe in the special messengers of love who will join hands with us at Grand Staff Ministries so we can make a difference.

Detours

Our trip "detoured" us through London, where we met friends Alyson Jones and her two children to do some sightseeing. Loved visiting historical sites and hearing the background from a local! We were short on time, but we decided to throw caution to the wind and visit Buckingham Palace, anyway. It was a much further walk than we realized, and we were running quite late. We decided to take a shortcut at one spot, only to be delighted that we'd arrived in the nick of time for the changing of the guard--the one thing Anna most wanted to see! Very cool . . . if we'd done things any differently, she'd have missed it!

We thought we were going to miss the entire sightseeing trip! Thought we'd NEVER find our way to the train! We ran really late and feared our friends would give up on us. I admit I was stressing out, but we finally got to the right place and bought our tickets.

Riding the train between downtown London and the airport, we sat across from a young man who was obviously high on drugs. He picked his nose, then gazed at the results in fascination. Drooled on his shirt and played with that. Laughed to himself at some private joke while rolling a cigarette. My heart went out to him as I realized he could have been our Nathan. We were reminded for the jillionth time how blessed we are to have our son restored to God and our family. And reminded that even when we thought we were running late, God actually put us on the train at that exact time so we could meet this young man. I'll remember to pray for him.

When we arrived in South Africa, we learned that our luggage had not. Arrived, that is. It was detoured somewhere between Chicago and London.

So British Airways gave us vouchers to purchase clothing to get us by until the bags got there.

We detoured by a huge mall in Pretoria on the way to Wynand and Betsy's house. Anna was excited to get a new outfit, including shoes, a jacket, and jammies to top it off. Perfect way to spend a couple of hours--at least for our 14 year old!

We felt wonderfully welcomed at Wynand and Betsy's. They'd invited Wynand's brother and his family to enjoy a meal with us, and wow, can Betsy ever cook! We loved hearing the banter of people who obviously enjoy being together.

Wynand and Betsy are Jannike's parents; we met her four years ago in Africa. She is good friends with Jubilee Yocum after having attended Youth with a Mission together six years ago.

When we awakened the next morning and gathered our things, we realized that Anna's insulin was missing from the refrigerator. To my chagrin, I learned it had been inadvertantly placed in the freezer, not the fridge. YIKES. It's not supposed to be frozen! I was already concerned that it had gotten too hot on the trip, and now it was too cold. I didn't know if we'd even have access to more insulin if we needed it, but I did know the insurance wouldn't pay for it. We'd have to find a pharmacist to talk it out.

When we returned to the airport the next morning, our bags were waiting for us. We took a detour by the airport pharmacy and discovered the insulin should be okay, even if it might take more than normal to do the job. Whew! We loaded our bags on a cart and made our way to the car rental facility. Learned that we'd been misled to believe we couldn't get the car until Monday morning, which in actuality, we could have gotten it anytime since they're open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

But we realized if we'd done that, we'd never have met our new friends in Pretoria, so we could see the Lord's hand in it all. Plus we had the privilege of visiting Jason and Mary Trego. They've stayed at our B & B before, where we realized we had attended Sterling College together! He's a doctor with the embassy and they'd just moved to Pretoria. They fed us a yummy supper and caught us up on their family. It's always nice to see a familiar face in another country.

We were finally off for Swaziland, and our excitement was building. We got settled in our room, and although we'd stayed at Emafini Conference Center before, we'd never been in a suite like this one. It was literally one room plus a bathroom. There was a kitchenette to one side, but only one sleeping/sitting area. We realized we'd be sharing a room with Anna the whole time, and it wouldn't be convenient to prepare meals without a stove. But hey, we knew this wasn't a vacation; it was ministry. We'd make the best of every situation.

We finally headed off to Stan and Sue Drew's for dinner. This is the missionary couple we'd met in Seattle seven years ago when the seeds for our ministry in Africa were first planted. It was a joy to reconnect with them after two years--four for Anna. They caught us up on people and various ministry projects, and we felt like we'd found our footing again after the long trip.

By the time we got back to our room, we were all feeling tired and on the cranky side. I had to laugh; since we were all in one room, I had to bite my tongue instead of fussing with Tracy in front of Anna. I could see that maybe sharing a room would also be a good thing. Smile.

And it was obvious once again that even little details were working out in spite of things not always going exactly how I wanted them to go. I needed to rest in the Lord and trust Him. He is faithful.

Even those things that seemed to be off the beaten path ended up being in His plan for us. His Word says we can make our plans, but He directs our paths. (Proverbs 16:9) And He works everything out for our good and His glory when we love Him and live for His purposes. (Romans 8:28)

Maybe while we were in Africa, some area of your life seemed to be going in a different direction than you'd envisioned. Perhaps the Lord was working behind the scenes to get you in the place He wants you. What a comfort that He helps all of us as we commit our way to Him, trust in Him, and then watch with amazement as He directs our steps.

And I was sure that the next steps we took, no matter how challenging, would still be good ones because we'd finally get to see the children again!