We went to our first care point this past week, which has flown bye so fast, and as we came up to the building there was this man with a huge smile. He seemed at first overwhelmed by all of the white people, but soon came to realize that we were just there to build a relationship with him. After about 15 minutes of being there, the man had shown us more Michael Jackson dances and songs than I have seen on TV. When he was done showing us, I went up to him to compliment how well he spoke English and he just stared at me for about 30 seconds without saying anything. Eventually he spoke, “You look like a Swazi”. I laughed and said, “Yeah, I tan pretty easily”. The peaceful man spoke again and said, “No, you are home. Your eyes do not look lost”.
Talk about grabbing ahold of someone’s heart. I have continuouslly prayed to the Lord, asking for a sense of peace. I wrote in my journal about two nights ago, as I was watching the sunset, that I have never felt more at peace than just at that moment. I have seen poverty and I have seen brokeness, but the Swazi people hold a sense of peace and humbleness that I have never experienced. All the children at the carepoint ask if they can be my friend or play with my hair. I would love nothing more than to give them my clothes and shoes and say take it all! (Which I will probably end up doing :] )
Yesterday, a girl that was probably around 14 years-old came up to me and asked if she could play with my hair. As I sat down I think about 20 other little boys and girls crowded around me all pushing each other trying to be the kid with the best updo. It was chaos…but I loved it.
Of course I wake up some mornings craving starbucks or a hug from my Mom, but in the end, a hug from a child who doesn’t have a family, is more than a person can ask for.
I miss my family and friends more than I thought I would 😉
LOVE-
Emily
PS. I keep trying to upload pictures, but the internet is EXTREMELY slow. Will try again next week.
