Sawubona!
I sit writing you in a small internet cafe in the heart of Manzini. If I could say one thing, it would be that saying Swaziland is not what I was expecting would be the understatement of the century.
Currently, I am living in a three bedroom house with 22 other people. I am sleeping in a room with 10 other girls. We have one source of running water in the house that comes from the bathtub(PRAISE for bucket showers). We use squatty potties like champs. We have electricity that isn’t what Americans would call “reliable”. We do our laundry by hand, and hang it out on the line to dry. In the morning I sit outside with my dog(really our neighbors, but we all know who he loves the most), and a couple cows as I eat my breakfast. Public transport means that we squeeze 14 people into a car not much bigger than a minivan and hope and pray that we don’t hit anything. In the city, I am stared at, grabbed, whispered about, and proposed to for being white, tall and blond. Oh, and it’s winter. Africa can be COLD. This is NOT what I thought I signed up for.
But you know what? I love it.
I am blessed enough to spend my days working in the city at a place called Hope House that cares for the terminally ill. Many of the patients there are children. There is so much joy and love for the Lord in a place that you would expect misery.
I am blessed enough to be surrounded by godly people who love each other fiercely, and pursue each other every. single. day.
I am blessed enough to have people I miss like crazy at home. I wish that I could fly all of you reading this out here to see what life is like. It is INSANE.
Living here for even just this short amount of time has made me realize how much I have in America. We are a society of excess. God has really been showing me that I have not been thankful enough for what I have been given. Mom, Dad, I hope you’re reading this. THANK YOU for the life you have provided me. I don’t have words for how blessed I really am.
Swaziland is a really crazy place. The people are so loving and friendly. I have gained many new Gogo’s(grandmothers) and Sisi’s(sisters) from my time walking around the markets. Some of the women only speak Siswati, yet we are still able to tell them “Jesu Uyakutsandza”(Jesus loves you), and watch a smile light up their faces. Expect many more blogs about the beauty of Gods creation and the amazing people here in this tiny, tiny country.
Sala khale!
