Life in Eswatini
This week has been pretty consistent. We usually all get up around the same time (8am), unless you are apart of making breakfast crew, which is usually corn flakes, apples, or oatmeal.
Over the week we went to two different care points to strengthen/build our relationships with the kids there. The kids range from 3-16. It takes a lot to have one kid on your back laughing, giggling and having fun, to then switch gears to slow down and talk with a kid who is older and going through different things and doesn’t want to be on your back but wants to get out of the situation he’s in. Some want to just play soccer and forget and some just want to sit and watch. The range of emotions I go through in a day has been challenging but I understand that nothing is like the hardships the kids that come here for food and play, everyday, go through. The “gogo’s” or grandmas are tough, hardworking, loyal women that cook the boxes of rice sent to the different care points every month. They show up every day to make sure the kids are fed. When I see them eating the same thing every day I either try to not think about it or feel bad. Knowing back home I eat different foods every day and I’m here looking at the same kids eat the same thing every day and it’s usually the only thing they eat that day. It gets to me. I know I’m here for a reason and I have to look past the differences in order to connect on a level that will leave them and me with the memories and feelings needed to inspire growth. Each day is different in how I feel even though on the outside I need to show Christ. If I’m not preaching, teaching or speaking the gospel then I need my actions to show Christ.
Other than care points I had the opportunity to go on more house visits. What a house visit entails is greeting those who live there which is usually just one because the others are at work. We spend time learning about their daily life and hoping to connect with them on a personal level enough to again, let them remember us as they would Christ. We then read scripture, pray for something they have asked to pray for or just prayed to God for whatever we observe and feel they might need in their daily life. Sometimes we spend 10 min sometimes we spend 30-45min. Everyone we have met here is very welcoming to us. The tears in some of their eyes when we pray for them and talk to about God with them is something I will never forget.
The temperature here is the best I could have asked for. Cool 70-80 degrees in the day and a cooler 40-50 degrees at night. I just saw my first real-life giraffe. Actually 6 of them in total and one was no less than 50 yards away! It was super cool. I’ve also seen goats, donkey’s, cattle, pigs, and almost every house has chickens.
What came to me while writing this post is the slowness of time here. In America something is always on my mind or something stimulating always has my attention. Here I have had the great chance to slow down and be bored, read a lot more and bond with my team to a level I never would’ve expected. I’ve laughed more than I have in a long time. I’ve been given personal feedback on myself that has really drawn me closer to my team and God. I’ve grown to see love and feel love in a new way than I would’ve been able to back home. I’ve been taking cold showers (I mean really cold) every day and had to adapt to my team mate Peter who snores every night (that has started to become rather soothing). It has all made me look up instead of to how I feel. I ask God to help the shower not feel so cold and even though it might still be cold he brings my thoughts to something other than the present moment I’m in. I ask God to help me go to sleep before Peter starts snoring and even if he doesn’t let that happen I always get to bed without getting aggravated or annoyed at the situation that would normally make me aggravated or annoyed. He watches me, comforts me and allows me to depend on him when situations that I wouldn’t be caught dead in back home, start to happen here in Eswatini. I have been lucky enough to have a bunk bed to sleep on, a sleeping bag to stay warm in and new friends that make me smile everyday.
All in all this week has been slower than the first. Tomorrow we go to the local church again and get the chance to sing and dance and worship in a different way than we are used to. I’ve really cultivated some lasting friendships here and ask that everyone at home try to make a new friend this week. Whether that be someone at work, at the grocery store or a neighbor. Go make a new friend. See what God can show you. Say a quick prayer and open up the space to be Christ centered and see how God moves! I might be asking for a lot but I encourage you to watch God move!!
Talk to y’all soon:)
-Benjamin
Prayer requests:
Hayden: to know and stay reminded of why he is here.
Peter: hope for the future
Sarah: continued boldness and uncomfortableness
Cory: continued opportunities to serve the youth of the communities. They’ve been a blessing on my heart and I feel a real calling to love and play with them.
Angie: to keep us safe and healthy, and for us and Swazi people to know the Lord deeper! It is also her birthday today!:) Happy 20th Angie!
Coryn: continued self-sacrifice.
Stephanie: for continued good health for everyone on our team.
Me: to pray more than I do now.
Ben, I love reading your posts. They inspire me and help to make my day a better one. So proud of you.
Thanks for sharing, Ben. You and your team are establishing relationships that will make a difference in those you meet and their journey with Christ.
Sorry about the cold showers. Could you just put the water in 3 x buckets…let it sit for a few hours…then have one to dump on your head so you can lather up, then dump one on your head to wash it off, do it again with that 3rd bucket…and then be done? We call those Australian showers in the Army and that’s how we circumvent unbearably cold showers
Ben, I read this outloud to Grandpa this morning over coffee. We both loved hearing from you and sharing with us your daily experiences. What a exciting adventure you are undertaking with God by your side.
I love the idea. I’ll pass it along and might have to try it out!
Thank you!!
It really is! I love you both!
Love reading about your experiences! The entire article is so enlightening! Your post gives me pause-looks like the older boy does not see a path out of his situation. What do you see? Love what you are doing!!
I pray you fall asleep before Peter 🙂 So very proud of you and the lives you are changing.
What a “never to forget experience” you are having! Love your posts filled with so much to think about. Keep them coming!
Question: Have any of you all tried the Australian shower?
Your momma knows about the snoring. As do I. LOL. Be happy and remember all of us back home are enjoying your journey too. Thanks so much for sharing! We are proud of you- and a little jealous about the weather and the giraffes. Love you!
I’m so proud of all you’re doing & learning. Looking forward to your being home & hearing more in-depth. This is going to change you—& it will be interesting to see what changes you make in your life when you return. I love you & am looking forward to hearing so much more. Mimi
Thank you for the work you are doing and the confidence to undertake this Journey.
We love you and cannot wait to hear more
Dad
Ben, I can really relate to your thoughts on how everything seems to move slower where you’re at. When I was out to sea in the Navy, we didn’t have any internet, phones, etc. for several months – not even a sight of land. Just ocean water that seemed to extend to no end. It really allows you to live life “in the moment” – and reassures us that reality is what’s in front of us. There’s so much to be grateful for and appreciate when we slow down a bit. It can certainly be an adjustment, but it’s healthy, and you’re doing it. That’s amazing. You have so much to be proud of. Your humility, strength, care for others, bravery. Everything you’ve shared has been so insightful and refreshing. We’re all so very proud of you.
Wow, really love this blog post and all that the Lord is doing! It’s incredible to me how all of us have become friends in the short amount of time we’ve had together as a team. I also think the connections you’ve made on the field, with the locals here in Eswatini are really exciting!!