I’m back with an update! Connection in Africa is just not the same, so posting anything takes more effort than normal. We are in our second African country and I can’t wait to tell you more about this one at the end of October. Until then, here are some facts and fun memories from our month in eSwatini.
Location: Manzini, eSwatini
Arrival: September 5
Departure: September 30
Days: 25
Team: All Squad Month! There are 16 of us.
Living conditions: Picture this. A tiny house with two bunkbed-filled bedrooms. A small living room (a chair and a two-seat couch). One bathroom. A kitchen the size of a closet. (The guys had a separate house but we had the only kitchen.) Now put 16 people there. Twelve girls sharing that bathroom. Cooking meals for 16 people in that little kitchen. Everyone trying to pack lunch and get ready for the day and make breakfast and coffee at the same time. Can you imagine the chaos?
Thankfully the house was on a lot of land and that allowed us to spread out to some degree. Many of us tented which was a game-changer. We eventually settled into a good rhythm and learned to deal with the annoyances of living in such close quarters.
Weather: Hot and sunny during the day, but cool and breezy at night. Perfect conditions for sleeping in a tent. I know this isn’t weather related, but something notable was the absolutely beautiful sky. The sunrises, sunsets, stars, the moon always had me stopping in my tracks in admiration.
Ministry: There are Care Points scattered across this small country where kids can come for a meal everyday and other things like discipleship, school support, and Bible teaching. My group went to a Care Point where the leadership was difficult to work with, so that affected our day to day ministry. We did enjoy the hours we had with the kids and did Bible lessons, skits, dancing, singing and games.
Fun Fact: The Kingdom of eSwatini is one of the only absolute monarchy’s left in the world. The country is ruled by King Mswati who has 15 wives, each of whom lives in her own palace. His father, the former King, had 70 wives and near 1,000 children. Hearing about this blew my mind and just felt like we had stepped back in time.
Lesson Learned: Living with the same people for what has now been 9 full months is not easy. Everyone is completely comfortable around each other and we all have our things that get on other peoples nerves. Put us in a tight space and inevitably, the annoyances are magnified. Per usual in unideal situations, there were some valuable lessons learned. One of those was the reminder from John 13:34-35 where Jesus says:
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
It’s a simple and clear command that cannot be ignored. We can talk and talk and tell and tell of the good news of the gospel, but our actions must align with what we are saying. How can you go out and love people you don’t know when you can’t even love those you are surrounded by daily? More often than not, the people you are stuck with are the hardest people to love: that could be your family, your coworkers, your church family, or a group you are traveling the world with for the year. Whoever it is and even if it is HARD, Jesus requires it of us, so we must continue to love despite differences, preferences, annoyances, and hurt feelings. And in these verses, he even gives us a reason why we should love — this is how we stand out. Loving the hard people isn’t in our nature so doing it sets us apart from the rest of the world and is a clear sign that we are followers of Christ.
Memorable Day: During this month, there was the opportunity for parents to visit. One night in particular was really special, and that was when the parents (about half of the group had parents come) came to our tiny house to see what our living situation was like and spend time with the whole squad. We did squad introductions that included lots of laughs and inside jokes, Q&A, pizza for dinner and good time getting to meet the parents of those we’ve spent this year with. Lemme tell ya, genetics are STRONG. Overall, it was just so cool to see our people with their people. Thankful for that night.
Best Food: We cooked for ourselves this month, so we didn’t get the chance to taste much authentic food in this country. One day though, some of the ladies at a care point made us something called “fat cakes.” The dough was made from flour, brown sugar, and water then a ball of dough was dropped into hot oil. When cooked, they were similar to donuts in taste and texture, but are more of a sphere in shape. They were very tasty, and watching them make them was a fun experience!
Well, this concludes my summary of country number eight! By the time we are done, we will have visited/lived in/served in ten countries over the course of this year. The end is in sight, but still out of reach. Please pray for us to stay present and persevere in the last two months but also for peace and dependence on the Lord as we approach the finish and make plans for our next stage of life. As always, thank you for reading these posts, for praying faithfully and for being a support to me in this year. I’ll be back before long with a Lesotho recap!
Loved your latest update! I have a dear friend that spent a little over a year in a remote part of Lesotho. She loved it and the pictures she showed me of the countryside were beautiful.
Praying for you as you finish up this year “well”.
Your words on loving our neighbors resounded strongly in my heart! God is good to make things so clear to those that seek Him.
Looking forward to seeing your sweet face in person!
Thank you for the update! Africa is filled with so many neat things as well as so much poverty. We found the people in Nairobi were delightful! May God continue to bless you and keep you safe!
God always has the last word doesn’t he! Sounds like you’re listening and learning when you hear his voice and that’s so you. Carry on sweet girl and know we’re lifting you up in prayer and counting the days.
Oh my dear Emma – it was so wonderful to finally get to hug my daughter’s dynamic duo! She loves you so! I’m amazed at all of you. So wise, so grounded in the word of God and his direction and appointment for each of us to trust and love Him, despite of our own imperfections. You all are hilarious in your own right! I loved every minute of it….and yes, I’m responsible for Amanda’s odd habits apparently! 🙂 Love you to the Moon and Back – I know God is covering you all in his love and protection. Love, Momma Sherry!!!
Hey Sweet Liz! I love this! You are always so filled with Wisdom and a good Word! Your updates are such a joy. I’ve heard Lesotho is beautiful, can’t wait to hear next month’s update. You know we love you so much!!!
My sweet Emma! Thank you so much for the recap of your last month! What a challenge to live under those conditions! I am so spoiled! Thank you for reminding me of God’s command to love all, even the HARD to love! Stay strong through God’s guidance. I love you and am counting the days until you will return & spread God’s love here??
Thanks for your update!! Thank you for reminding us that loving all is not optional. How wonderful you are learning that and finding God does give us the ability to do that in hard circumstances. My prayers for you continue.
I needed this reminder today!! Beginning month 2 and realizing the word LOVE I have tattooed on my left arm is going to come in handy as a reminder throughout this year to give it to the people I serve and the people on my team!
Eswatini will always hold my heart! So cool to hear about your experience and can’t wait to talk about it more when you get back! Love you so much and praying for you!:)