Last Thursday, like every other Thursday morning, we visited Eskhaleni Carepoint. This beatutiful morning was different though. It was our last visit, our last Thursday. As usual, when we pulled up this one little boy greeted us with “goodbye, goodbye” in his cheerful little voice. This is one of the few English words he knows. This week we would be really saying goodbye, but first we would be blessed.
Usually we go inside, read a Bible story, then hang out and colour with the preschoolers. This week we read the story of Jesus Ascention into Heaven and sang My God is so Big.
Our God really is so big!
What happened next blew our minds. God loved on us in a way we could have never even fatholmed.
Pilo, a ministry partner/translator, started talking all fast to the children in Siswati. He told them that this would be our last time to visit them. We were going back to America this week. He told my ministry team to stand in the middle of the children. They were going to pray for us.
Me, Emmaly, Melanie, and Catharine all sat dumbfounded in a circle as 20 preschoolers laid their hands upon us and prayed for us in Siswati. Even though we couldn’t tell what they were saying, the Father knows all languages.
Something I have learned here is that facial expressions, voice tones, and body language are each a form of communication. The feeling of children laying hands on your back, shoulder, and knees was precious. Hearing tiny voices speak life into us made my heart cry for joy and for sadness, tears welled up in our eyes. Looking around I saw kids heads bowed and eyes closed. We had children cuddled in our laps, all of them praying for us. It was an amazing experience.
God was looking down on those kids with a smile on His face. Afterwards we all looked up at each other in amazement. Did that just happen? Did the kids we pray all the time for just pray for us?
We have been praying for these kids this whole trip. Everytime a child sat in our lap or fell asleep in our arms we tried to remember to say a prayer and blessing over them. But today they blessed us immensly by praying over us.
The people of Swaziland have greatly blessed me. They have taught me what it means to be protected and provided for by God. They have taught me what it means to truly love someone. They have taught me to rest. I was truly blessed by these wonderful, cheerful, gracious, loving, peaceful, patient, faithful people.
