Basic Overview of my Life in Swazi

First, I must start off with an apology for not blogging in so long. I’ve had a lot of things to say but never the want to write down and type them out so for that I am sorry.     Since my last blog, excluding my Swazi address blog, I have had a complete change in scenery. I now officially live in Manzini, Swaziland, a small city right in the middle of the small country. The first few weeks were basically spent getting use to the culture, which is very different than the South African culture, visiting the ministry sites and settling into our new home. Right now we are testing the waters at different ministry sites and trying to figure out where God want each of us. He actually keeps showing us new places where He wants us to work and it is great because we have something that clearly suits everyone.  Our choices include:   (These are just a few of the ministry choices because honestly the opportunities are endless.)

 Hope House – A place for terminally ill people to live until they either get better or die. It is un by a little Indian lady and she is amazing. It costs 10R a day (about 1.10$) and we just go and visit with the patients. Many of them never have visitors so they are hungry for people to talk to.

The hospital – This hospital is what you would picture as an “African” hospital. There are many people crammed into the same room. It is crowded, busy, and there are not enough nurses. It is definitely a place where God’s truth can be spoken to the people. I usually have interesting things happen to me at the hospital. On the first day there a woman tried to give me her baby and the second day a woman tried to convince me to come home with her and marry her son. At least it keeps life interesting.

Care points – I love the care points!  These are places where children who either have no parents or have parents that don’t do anything or them go once a day to get food. Pictures those ads on TV where a hundred kids are lined up to get food from a lady serving it out of a big pot. Many of the kids are malnourished and just really need to feel the love of Christ. Many care points also teach the students up to 3^rd grade English.

 *St. Josephs – We have yet to visit St. Josephs when the students are there as they are on holiday from school right now but I think it will be the place where I do my main ministry. It is a school for the physically and mentally disabled. They get taught life skills so that they can go back to their communities and have a way to make money. The school has facilities for all types of disabilities and I am looking forward to working there.

 Office work – Some of the members of my team will be working in the AIM office here in Manzini. They will be helping with paperwork and errands that need done.

Cherish – This is a ministry that involves going into high schools and teaching the teenage girls about abstaining and sexual purity. It is extremely important in this culture.

Jail visits – I think some people will be going into two of the jails in the area and ministering to the people there. They will be doing anything from playing music to reading the bible to the inmates.

*Manzini Youth Centre – This place is amazing and was started years ago by an Irish man who moved to Swazi. It focuses on 2 things. 1. Helping street boys get off the street and into school. They have 5 houses where the boys live and they teach them how to grow up and be able to support them selves and get jobs.  2. They have a workshop program where young women and men learn trades and actually start their own businesses. Once their businesses get a good start they leave the centre, start the business in town and then a whole new group of young people comes in and does it again.

I hope to be working here on Wednesdays helping in a ceramics and weaving class with older Swazi women. We will get to build relationships with them and hopefully on top of that learn how to weave. I’m telling you I am going to come back truly African.

            These are just a few of the ministry choices because honestly the opportunities are endless.

Basic Schedule of what my days look like but I think it is important to know that my life barely follows this schedule. With God we are always doing something we didn’t plan but that’s just the fun of it.