Nsoko.

Nsoko is BEAUTIFUL.  

I was
walking down a straight dirt road and was drawn to the beauty here, in
Nsoko.  The road I was walking on is made
of deep dark soil, the land felt empty- only a couple small straw huts were in
sight, few lifeless trees, the land looked dry, everything seemed silent and
empty.  Yet within the emptiness, there
are so many children, many voices
here that declare strength; beauty within these voices.  We walked past a railroad track (reminded me
of home).  We walked past a mud
pond.  While passing this mud pond, I
thought people most likely drink from this water.  This water was filthy.  Purified water is a basic need.  In Africa=
Swaziland, Nsoko, purified water is scarce.

I am blessed.  

Children peak in the windows, stick their
hands in between the window bars.  While
doing dishes one early afternoon a girl and I practiced spelling English words
(beautiful, pretty, my name is…(she wrote with chalk on the window)).  We live by a sugarcane field.  The moon tonight was full and bright
orange.  Joy is constant.  Creativity is common (this afternoon the
power went out and we have no running water). 
The sunsets are beautiful and the stars at night are bright.  In the early mornings I watch so many primary
school children walk to school.  I am
surrounded by an amazing group of women in love with Jesus and his
creation.  I visit Gogo’s (women) who are
beautiful and their faces reflect wisdom and strength.   I vividly see a whole different way of living.

(Bible verse I read this morning)

 1
John 3:19-20 “This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how
we set
our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us.  For God is greater than our hearts and he
knows everything.”

I belong to the truth.  I belong to Jesus Christ.  I am learning to continually and always rest in the
Lord: to set my heart upon the Lord and rest in his presence.  His presence is always with me.  The Lord is greater.  He is greater than all my thoughts.  He is greater than all my ways.  HE KNOWS EVERYTHING.

The past week I have been a teacher at the
pre-school on the AIM base (where we live). 
There are about 25 children from the age of 4-6 years, every
morning.  From 8-11:30 I am surrounded
constantly with these children.  The
mornings this past week look like this: 
singing, learning new memory verses (a new memory verse the children
learned was Psalm 118:24 “This is the day that the Lord has made, I will
rejoice and be glad in it.”…to the tune of the song) Review colors of the
rainbow, numbers, the alphabet (all in English) and repeat each multiple
times.  We read a Bible story (the past
couple days have been Jonah and Joseph). 
The children write numbers and the alphabet out.  I enjoy so much spending my mornings with
these youngsters. 

In
the afternoon we go on home visits with the ministry workers.  Monday-Jillian, Natalie, Jen and I met Gogo
Flora.  She is the best Gogo!  We sat under the Marula tree, in the shade
and talked for a couple hours.  She has
so much wisdom and is full of life.  An
amazing fact is that her mother is still living we call her Great Granny.  We were first introduced to her when she was
chasing her great-great granddaughter with a stick, because she had escaped.  She said she had to teach her a lesson to be
good.  Tuesday-Kelsey, Cassie, Natalie
and I went with Phindile (ministry worker) to Gogo Beauty’s homestead.  She was making mats with straw grass.  Very talented.  Gogo Beauty
is beautiful.  While we were sitting,
visiting with all I saw within her was beauty. 
Looking at her, I saw so much strength, wisdom, compassion and
love.  Wednesday Shannon, Jillian, and I
had women’s study with 10 ladies from church. 
I enjoyed spending quality time reading scripture and testifying God’s
word with these ladies.  I shared
scripture from 2 Corinthians 1:3-7 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in
all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort
we ourselves have received from God.  For
just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through
Christ our comfort overflows.  If we are
distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; which produces in you patient
endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 
And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in
our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.”  God is the God of all comfort.  These women needed to hear that God is their
comfort.  In-between sharing scripture
and testifying we sang.  The voices of
these women are so deep and heavy.  Their
voices are beautiful and magnify the name of Jesus.  Thursday I helped Nelly and Phindile make
juice ice for Christmas parties this upcoming week.  Natalie, Brie, and I went with Nelly and
Phindile to visit a family whose grandson passed away last Friday.  This little boy was in first grade.  Young and innocent. 

This
evening Karli, Erica (previous AIM
leader, she is soon to be moving to live in Swaziland permanently) and I spent
time with Nelly and Phindile.  We named
Phindile.  Her English name is Annaliese
(Anna+Elizabeth).  Nelly and Annaliese are
beautiful women.   I see beauty in these women through their
trust the Lord.  I see confidence in both
women.  I see beauty in the love they
have for their children.  They both have
serving hearts. 

Holiness is a word that has stood out the past week.  Holy means to be set-apart, different.  God is holy. 
He created us to be holy. 

Worship
me in the beauty of holiness.  All true beauty reflects who I am.  I am working my ways in you: the divine
Artist creating loveliness within your being.

Jude
24-25  “To him who is able to keep you
from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and
with great joy- to the only God our Saviour be glory, majesty, power, and
authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore!
Amen.”