Posted in A Trip Update by Chad Mustain on 7/28/2009
Just a quick update to say that the Swaziland team made it
back. Those that are staying over night and flying out in the morning
are at the hotel and the few that are flying home today should be on their way.
Zech, Mary Grace, Ryan, Chelsea, Kyra, and I have a new friend Maswani. She is exhausted. Her father died earlier this year. As her AIDS manifests itself in the final stages, her body looks like a scaly, dry mess. Her feet are incredibly swollen. The skin on her back looks like it is literally melting off like wax. She doesn't have clothes. She doesn't have soap. She doesn't even have her own copy of a Bible. She lies in a small dark hut...hopeless. Waiting to die. Did I mention she's 19? Yes. She is our peer.
Home visits are usually filled with questions about family, leisure activities, church, etc. But for the first part of our visit, we struggled. Searching for words of comfort...or just conversation.
Of course God can heal Maswani, and maybe He will. But aside from a miracle, she will die soon and there is only one comfort. But it's the greatest comfort of all...heaven.
Heaven. How often do we put our focus there? How often do we look through eternal eyes, not earthly eyes? Are we so consumed with our home, our finances, and our family that we forget that this is not our home?
In the United States,I am comfortable. Praying over people who are dying is not a daily thing. Holding hungry children does not happen every afternoon. Pain and heartache of losing your entire family is not a cloud hanging over my head. But here in Swaziland, this is life.
And the truth is, for most of the world, it's no different. We live in a world of hurting people. A world of brokenness and pain. And as I am confronted with this constantly here, I have learned that the only way to deal with this, the only way to serve and minister in joy is to have a heavenly outlook. As Colossians 3:3 instructs us, "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." I think if anyone knows this it's Pastor Gift who has lived in this atmosphere his entire life, and I think he put it best when he said,
"When there are deserts, I see springs of water.
When there is emptiness, I see God; fullness.
When there is darkness, I see light."
Wow. I want this vision. I want to strive for this vision not just as I spend my days in Swazi, but even when I return to the comforts and distractions of the US. I want to have a heavenly outlook, a mindset focused on my REAL home, and in the meantime...Love. Love. Love. until the day I die ☺
For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. Then the righteous will answer him, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you? The King will reply, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.
So, yesterday (7/3) was an amazing day, where I witnessed this scripture lived out. Yesterday our team partnered with the Luke Commission as they held a clinic here in Nsoko. There are over a dozen different stories I could share, as each person on our team walked away changed. As a leader, I can't even begin to describe the blessing yesterday was, and the pride I had as I watched: Ryan, Kyra, Mary Grace, Sara, Abbie and Amanda K work with so much joy as they clothed all these children from around our neighborhood. As I witnessed Amanda R, Becca, and Kati examine a couple hundred kids for scabies, ringworm, and other infections. Or EB as he took patients blood sugars, blood pressures, and tested for HIV. Or watching people work with the auto refractor to test patients vision and put them in new eyes glasses. Or simply watching Chelsea, Anna and Amanda L. play with all the children as they came out. Another incredible opportunity was seeing Zech, Estee, Kelly, Austin and Mandy as they prayed with patients right before they saw the doctor. I could go on and on, but I want each of you to be able to hear these stories first hand, from those you love when they come back. One quote I will leave you with, which came from our team-time last night....
"Today it hit me. Despite all that stats I read and even knowing that many of the people we live in community with every day are sick and have HIV...well, it wasn't real until today. I guess its just so different being on this trip because the numbers, can't compare to the stories, the voices, and the faces. The faces of those you know, you're friends as they are tested and recieve they're results."
Posted in A Trip Update by Amanda Roberts on 6/29/2009
Hello from Swazi!
We've had a great, productive week. On Monday part of the group went to a primary school about an hour away from Nsoko. It was a great experience and the kids there are incredible and so smart. They have to speak English in class and in 3rd grade, they start learning French. Crazy, huh? TWe got to help out in some of the classrooms and just play with the kids and observe the teaching. It was such a cool experience.
The rest of the team stayed in Nsoko and did manual labor. One group dug a trench for a new care point. The other group dug a hole for a squatty at someone's house.
On Saturday we got to give out clothes to the kids at the center/ carepoint we live at. We got to see their excited faces as they looked through the clothes to see what would fit them. It's so great to see them in their new clothes because they wear the same ratty, torn, smelly clothes everyday beacuse that's all they have.
On Sunday an adult came that is staying for ten days. They're here to build a new carepoint. We're going to be helping out with that this week as well.
On Wednesday we have to go back to South Africa to renew our Visas, so we're going to the beach at St. Lucia for the day. It'll be so cool to see the ocean from Africa!
Other than that, we'll be doing our normal ministry. Thank you so much for all of your prayers! They have been amazing. Keep it up... less than a month left!!
We enter a dimly lit house that is one of the nicest we've visited since being in Swaziland. We are on our second day of home visits and I feel like I'm finally getting the hang of it. The Smiling Lady that greeted us at the door is not holding a beautiful baby. We are directed into a rather large blue painted room, with only a bed. At first awkwardness overcomes me because of the uncertainty of what awaits. The Smiling Lady told us that the beautiful baby's mother is very sick. We asked if we could pray for her and were told to enter the house. In a country that's AIDS prevalence is about 55%, I thought I had a good picture of what I was going to see when I walked into the room. A young lady, about twenty-five, lays on a small bed covered in blankets. Her head is all that shows of her small body. I instantly catch her eyes, which are filled with an overwhelmingly large amount of pain. The Smiling Lady tells us that she had been sick for the past thirteen months and recently stopped taking all medication because the family cannot afford it. As I walk closer to the woman I see that her brown eyes look emotionless – glazed over and agonizing. I now can see that this dieing lady has been reduced to nothing but bones. Her arms and legs are no bigger that of a small child. IN that moment it becomes hard for me to grasp what is going on – How can God allow an able mother to die without care?
We were allowed to pray over this woman, asking the Lord for healing. During the prayer I was overcome with clarity. I knew that the Lord was there, in the large blue painted room, with this dieing woman. She was not dieing alone.
Amongst all the pain and death that is in this country I know the Lord if working in these people. I believe that as Shepard's of the Lord, we are asked to take care of His sheep. As many flocks of sheep throughout the world die of HIV/AIDS, there lives are being stolen. The world is crying out for more Shepard's to come help the Lords people.
"May the Lord bless you with discomfort at easy answers,
half truths and superficial relationships, so that you may live
deep within your heart.
May God bless you at anger, at injustice, oppression, and
exploitation of people so that you may work for justice,
freedom and peace.
May God bless you with tears that shed for those who suffer
from pain, rejection, starvation, and war, so that you may reach
out your hand and comfort them so that their pain may be turned
to joy.
And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you
can make a difference in this world so that you can do what others
Being given fruit and maize as a gift of appreciation for visiting a mother who can barely afford supporting 9 children-- humbling.
Praying over a dying 26-year-old mother of 2 in the later stages of AIDS and no money for any treatment--heartbreaking.
The smiles, the hugs, and the laughs from people who are in even the most dire situations--hopeful.
The days are flying by here, but each evening, by the time the stunning sunset shines through our windows...I am faced with a choice. I can choose to feel overwhelmed with anger, heartache, and bitterness at what I see each day in Swazi. Or I can choose to hold true to the fact that God is still good. Always. I can choose to say that..even if I can't be the super hero and save all of Swazi, God has given me the opportunity to share his love with even a few the next 40 days. Most of all I can choose that THIS generation, THESE children will break the mold. and will break the silence. I can choose hope.
Some of my favorite David Crowder lyrics say this..." And all the love in the world, is right here among us...and hatred too...so we must CHOOSE what our hands will do."
What will your choice be today? I want to choose to serve. I want to choose to PRAY. And I want to choose to be a dreamer because God is a big God who can do anything and everything which includes saving a dying country. Will you join me? :)
Hey guys! this blog was actually written last week and posted on my facebook because I couldn't get this to load, but here it is, and I will write this week's too!
Today we are in Manzini! It's a much faster pace than rural Nsoko,
which is only an hour and a half away. We are here for the weekend
staying with the 1 month group, and a few of us, including myself, get
to go to a Women's retreat for the women who make purses for Timbali
crafts. Julie Anderson from AIM, oversees that ministry. I'm really
excited since I have actually read Julie's blogs and even have a purse
from the Timbali ministry (thanks Jessi). So hopefully I will meet the
woman who made MY purse!! :) Click these links to learn more about all
that: http://www.timbalicrafts.org/ and http://julieanderson.myadventures.org/
To summarize the week...wow. It's tough. But just to give you a glimpse
of one week in Nsoko, here are some of the stories and scenes:
-I met a girl my age, who has a child, was raped and is now HIV
positive. Her attacker is out of prison now, after a whole 3 years.
-I befriended a 12 year old girl named "Notunda" meaning "no love" in Siswati. Both of her parents are dead too.
-We did house visits yesterday, out of the 5 homes we visited, 4 of
them asked for prayer for food. And jobs. But...there are no jobs right
now.
-A woman we visited also asked for prayer of comfort and patience as
she lives with the father of her children, but he still brings his
girlfriends over to the house and they provoke her. She's trying to
stay strong.
I could go on, but I think you probably see the trend. In America,
these are headlines. Dateline specials even. But in Swazi, this is
life. Real life. Our team says that phrase a lot. At first we said it
just as a fun theme, but the thing is, it has so much truth to it. We
live in a bubble in America. A bubble of safety and security. I am
learning what real faith is here. Tested faith, I should say. Faith
that He will provide a meal. Faith that he will sustain you as you
watch your mom, your dad, and all those around you die. My heart is
breaking, but God is molding me, stripping my pride, and all my desires
of anything of this world.
That's all for now, this interent is crazy slow. Oh man. I will
hopefully have a more detailed blog next time I have a faster computer.
Also, I can't check my email today, this cafe isn't allowing me to
access the site. I will catch up next week or sometime there after?!
I love you all so much and wish you were here! Praying lots!
Posted in A Trip Update by Chad Mustain on 6/18/2009
I just wanted to leave a quick update to let you know that the team is doing well. I've talked to the leaders a couple of times by phone this week. Overall, everyone is in good health, ministry is going well, and they are getting the routine of life in Swaziland down, so to speak. As you can probably imagine, life is a little different in Swaziland and internet access isn't always available. One of the "fun" things the team is learning to deal with is the inconsistentcy of electricity. As a result, cooking is always an adventure!! Look for an update from the team soon.
We've only been here 3 days, but already, as I walk out of our "home" and the children jump all over me, it feels so natural. I have met many people heard stories that have broken my heart. Nsoko is one of the hardest hit regions when it comes to the HIV epidemic; Pastor Gift called it a "war zone." Yet, the Nsoko project brings so much hope. And with all the encouragement of the go go's and the other locals, through all this heartache, I can still smile because I know there are greater things ahead of Swazi. I pray..I trust...I KNOW this generation of children will make a change.
I know this is short and sweet, but internet time is very limited, so I will end with some random facts:)
--It was SUCH a blessing to have electricity and water! Although it goes off periodically, we are so thrilled.
--Dinner usually takes about 4 hours to make with our not-so-up-to-par appliances, but it usually ends up being a huge laugh/dance/singing fest.
--Our team gets along so well. We really are a family.
--Today was so chilly! I have a jacket and leggings on, but still, the wind is cold. I can only imagine how the kids feel.
I have so much more to say, but I will share when I can! Don't worry, I'm journaling it all :)
Thanks for reading, and to everyone back home, I love you all and am praying for you! Hope you're having a great day :)
Posted in A Trip Update by Amanda Roberts on 6/6/2009
Our team has made it safely to Nsoko where we will be living and doing our ministry for the next month.
We were surprised to find that we have electricity and running water at the community center that we will be staying at. Today we spent part of the day doing cultural training with Pastor Gift who lives on the property, and playing with children.
Tomorrow we will get to go to Pastor Gift's church and some of our team members will be able to preach at church as well as help with teaching sunday school with the children. Then on Monday we will be going out to the different care points where some of the children are fed and spending time there.
We are all very excited about hanging out with the children and getting started on our ministry!
