“New York!”

To the Swazis, I am known as “New York” or Mrs. Hunter, as if I’m already married (haha!). At church on Sunday our group introduced ourselves, saying our name and what state we are from. Saying “New York” opened up some very humorous conversations. I was asked if I knew Alicia Keys, Beyonce, and Rihanna personally and then was serenaded by my new friends with “Single Ladies” by Beyonce.

The people here are so incredibly sweet and gracious. I love not having to worry about what time it is or where we’re going next, because no one knows and frankly, no one cares. They know how to have relationships.

I have been going to care point 2 all week. All the kids are under 5 years old. It is about a 45 minute walk and is literally in the middle of nowhere. I have received many marriage proposals on the way there. Apparently all the men here need “just 1 wife.” When we arrived, we heard the kids’ voices repeating the teacher. We got the “sour porridge” for the kids, which is ground up maize with sugar in a pot over hot coals. It cools into a yellow gelatin form. The kids walked out but when they saw us they hid shyly behind the pillars. Two kids actually started crying and rarely stopped until after we left. Theses kids had clearly never seen white people before. It took them a a couple of hours to realize that we just wanted to love on them as much as they wanted to be loved. Some looked terrified the whole time. We eased them into playing games (especially with bubbles), singing songs, and doing Bible story skits with our amazing translators. They loved David and Goliath, and Daniel and the Lions Den.

As we come back each day, they get more and more comfortable with us. We really feel burdened to empower and teach them. We know their names, faces, and personalities. They find joy in the fact that we call them by their names. We repeat songs (they love the Hippo song about God’s creation) and they understand what to do. They love hearing Bible stories and are captivated by God’s truth and love. Really, they just love being held. Human touch is vital to these kids and most have clearly been denied that. They cling to us, with their arms tightly wrapped around our necks. They sit contently on our laps, saying nothing. Many fall asleep on us. How can you not believe in God when you hug and hold these kids?

Right now, I am seeking God, asking Him to show me specifically why I’m here. At the beginning of the week, I was really being attacked by satan. It was completely mental. I felt like I was the only person nbo supposed tio be here. I was also struggling with the fact that I didn’t raise all the money to be here, and because of that, I didn’t deserve to be here. In training camp, however, I realized that it was the exact opposite. God calls us to sacrifice. I gave up many many many things to be here, and only by the grace of God!

I get my Swazi name on Monday, which should be very interesting :). Hopefully I can pronounce it! SiSwati is made of of many vowels placed together, clicks, and slurs.

Our food:
-peanut butter and bread
-pasta and potatoes
-beans, beans, and more beans
-rice
-FAT CAKES from a nearby store (SO GOOD)
-dwindling supply of energy bars from home
-unending conversations about food we wish we were eating!

A couple days ago during our pray time, I felt God telling me that He is going to release His creativity over the team and ideas that we will get in our heads will clearly be from Him (because they are so specific and “original”).

I now see that discernment is essential here. The spiritual warfare here is tangible. God already has the victory and my prayer is that the Swazi people would literally see a light shining forth from us; that they would be drawn to the God of the universe, finding refuge in Him.

I also shared my testimony in it’s entirety to the whole team 2 days ago! It was the first time I’ve ever told me testimony. It was so incredibly freeing and I can clearly see God’s unconditional love and grace in my life. After hearing everyone’s testimonies, we all know each other so deeply! It is so awesome to see the things God does when His daughters are unified!

Sorry all of this is all over the place!! Thanks for your continued prayers for health and that the light of Jesus would shine brightly!
Love,
Hunter