Sonibonani

The last absolute monarchy remaining in Africa is the Kingdom of Swaziland. The rural country is rich in the majesty of its mountainous landscape and deep valley sunsets. Swaziland, one of the few southern African countries to still practice its ancient culture, attracts vacationers all over the world looking to experience the heart of Africa. However, underneath the allure of handcrafted markets, safaris, and skilled women balancing rice on their heads is a dying nation. Swaziland has the lowest life expectancy in the entire world at 31 years old. Swaziland is in the midst of the worst countries affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic with almost an entire generation wiped out by the virus. The barren land is suffering from a drought drying up all the wells and unable to produce enough food. These devastating conditions brought our team to have an unforgettable, life-changing adventure in Swaziland.

While in Swaziland our team was hosted by different Swazi families from the church we partnered with. I, along with two other team members, stayed with the Mabila family. The home we stayed in would be considered a low standard of life compared to the luxuries of The US. Despite the conditions we were battling; having no running water, two people to a single bed, and rice every night it was one of the richest experiences I have had. The family showed us much love and hospitality. We were welcomed as a part of their family. I quickly bonded with our house mom and especially one of the little girls. They gave me the name Siabonga, which means thank you in Siswati. It is amazing how in such a short amount of time you can grow to deeply love a group of people. The day we had to leave our family it was full of many emotions. They presented us with gifts and wrote us letters. In mine our house mom wrote:

“We were more than just friends we were a family, and not just a family but a happy family. We will really miss your presence here. I for one will always know that beyond the oceans I have family. Distance, time and direction will take you far away from us but our memories will always bring you closer. From my heart to yours: May your heart be filled with everlasting joy, peace, happiness, and above all else the love of God. I will always remember you and am always available to you. Just close your eyes and you will be here with us…”

My time in Africa has been by far the most spontaneous time of my life. One of my best memories was when our team was supposed to be doing practical work, but when we arrived on sight there were too many workers. So of course, the obvious thing to do is to start going house-to-house sharing the gospel. I am not an experience evangelist so this took me a little off guard. The area we were in was mountainous and not easy to get around, even by foot. But we went ahead and started trekking and praying that God would give us the words to say and the houses to go to. When we got to our first house we found a woman outside who greeted us. She invited us into her home. When we were inside we found a man close to death with an unknown illness. The woman told us that they believed in Jesus and asked us to pray for him. We prayed for healing over his body but most importantly for his soul. We gave the family a Siswati Bible and the woman said she would have her children read it to them at night.

The next house we visited was a man and his grandchildren. When he invited us to sit down he asked us if we could help him get running water, food, or money. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the resources to provide these things for him and his family. We, however, told him of the Living Water and how only God can satisfy our needs especially the thirst of our soul. I am not sure those were the best words to tell a man literally thirsty for water, but we listened to him talk, read scripture, prayed, and simply gave him company. He shared with us that sometimes the circumstances around him are so hard that he contemplates suicide but that our presence gave him a renewed hope and strength.

The first thing our team did upon arriving to Mimbekleweni, Swaziland was prayed over a lot of land that belonged to the government. It is a hope of OM’s to start a Medical Clinic on this land, but we must first get permission directly from the king. As you can imagine this is a lofty task. Much to our disappointment the king was in New York City having a meeting with the UN. The mother queen of Swaziland holds equal power as her son so we were still in luck. Three of the leaders from our team spent two days waiting in hopes for the queen to agree to meet with them. For two days they were sent away.

On the third day the queen agreed to meet with them. They explained who they were and asked permission for the lot of land. The queen said that she heard we were in the country and was thankful for our service to her nation. She told them that she herself was a Christian and yes the land could be ours to begin building a med clinic. She also requested that our whole team come to have a meeting with her to pray for her and her country. It was an amazing blessing from God to not only be able to minister to the poorest of poor but literally to the richest and most powerful woman in Swaziland. We sang songs of worship to our King in front of the queen, had a small devotion, and myself and another team member showed her a funny skit that we had been doing for the children of Swaziland. It is our hope that God will use our interaction with the queen to influence godly decisions for the nation.

I am now on the Training Base for the next two weeks. It is refreshing to have some down time to relax and process what God has done. After having time to reflect one of the main points God has been teaching me is that He didn’t bring me to South Africa to change the world (of course God can use me and you for his service) but to fixate me in a place where he can really change my heart and do his work in me. After these next two weeks we begin traveling almost nonstop. We leave the 19th of October for Namibia and return on the 6th of November. After then we will be on base for four days and leave again for three weeks for Durban, South Africa. So, I am thankful for the time of rest we are having now on the base.

Prayer Points

• God would continue to cultivate the hearts of the people we came in contact with.
• The physical needs of the Swazi people would be met as well as the spiritual needs.
• Love and unity amongst our team and wisdom for our leaders.
• That God would continue to teach me to look to Him and trust Him in all seasons and conditions of life.

Love, Adam