Home!!!

I came on two buses and a plane.  Can you imagine that?

So happy to be back in my own home.  I did not have a ride from the church where the bus dropped us off back to my house.  I took it on faith that someone would be able to take me home and just before I gave up and called a cab I noticed that Eric M. had come to welcome the team back and he drove me home.  

I've had my (very HOT) shower, and now am catching up on email, Facebook, and this blog.  Much more to come but I think it is time to eat the lunch my lovely wife left in the fridge for me and then take a much needed nap.

Bags packed, goodbyes said, now the journey home begins.

Beautiful night sky as we left Madudula; the Milky Way clearly in sight. Tomorrow we travel, home on Friday. Siya hamba.

Today I worked the "men's department" at the clothing distribution. It went well most if the day but grew kind of rowdy as the day wore on.

Off to Madudula for one last day. We will have a service, a clinic, and distribution of clothes.

My roomie just ironed his pants on my bed; now it is all warmed up for me to sleep. 1 more day!

Very interesting trip to the Swazi cultural village today. Also, I got a nap. Back to work tomorrow.

One week down, less than a week do go

First time at a computer this week so I wanted to take the time to write a more complete entry.  But others are waiting so it can't be too long.

It has been a fantastic week in Swaziland.  The weather has been beautiful, the landscape is majestic, and the people are so welcoming and friendly.  Our team has experienced great joy.

Each day so far we have traveled to one town or another to hold free clinics, distribute clothing, shoes, etc. and to hold special programs for the kids.  We also hold a worship service with the local church in each town.  I have been doing puppet shows during the services and they have been very well received. 

My roommate is a man from South Africa named Abednego.  He is our team's semi-official translator and has been working with me translating the puppet shows.  He is a fine man and a super interpreter, he not only translates the words but he also conveys the expressions and emotions.  I am so glad to be working with him.

I am learning more and more siSwati.  I purchased a dictionary that has helped me considerably. 

For those that know Jerry C., I suggested a siSwati name for him and Pastor Nelson confirmed this.  His name is Mahleka, which means "laughter."  Of course you who know him realize how appropriate that name is for Jerry.

Tomorrow is our day off and I will be traveling with a few others to the Swazi Cultural Village.  I am looking forward to this day, will blog about it tomorrow if I can.

Well, as I said, others are waiting to use this very slow, dial-up connection, so that will be it for today.

Ordination service in Matsapha today. Performed a puppet show. Good worship and fellowship.

Competition day in Madudula

On Saturday, July 31st all of the churches in the CMC network met in Madudula for a day of games, competitions, and fellowship.

We began the morning with the indoor competitions:  choir, dance, and solo singing.  One judge was appointed from each of the churches and one from the USA as well.  We saw some very good dancing in the traditional Swazi style.  Our dance team actually placed first much to our surprise.  I think this is because they liked our humorous presentation.  We certainly made them laugh.  Too bad we weren't trying to be funny. 

When they announced the outdoor competitions, the big question was "who will get to play the US team in soccer?"  This is because we are considered an "easy win."  The team from Madudula faced us and we only lost 2-0 but in reality we were on the defensive the entire game.  [I'll post some action shots of me playing soccer when I get them from the photographer.]

Team USA fared better in volleyball.  The only problem we had was that kids kept stealing the cones that marked our end corners.  I think they thought they were some kind of toy.

We did have a moment of trouble when a very large and very aggressive man infiltrated the picnic and began rough-housing with the kids (and menacing some of the adults too, apparently).  I found one of our team members from Swaziland and he had a little chat with the fellow and the guy left.  I'd really love to know exactly what he said. 

It was a very restful day for the most part.  In some ways it felt like we weren't working but then one must remember that the most important thing we are building in Swaziland is a relationship with the people there.

Near Mankayane, southwestern Swaziland

Today we drove down to Mankayane.  It is a beautiful drive through the mountains of southwestern Swaziland, and although it was raining ever so slightly it did little to diminish the beauty of the countryside.

When we arrived we began with a service inside two of the school classrooms and then we set up for our clinic & clothing distribution.  The students from the school were told to go outside and wait for the puppet show!  You can see the ocean of eager faces that were waiting.  However, as I went to the van to get my bag of puppets, I discovered to my great dismay that I HAD LEFT THE PUPPETS BEHIND!  I can't express how upset I was at myself for not checking the van personally.  I had simply assumed that the people that loaded the equipment had loaded the puppets as well.  My mistake for not verifying.  So, I asked myself, what do I do now?

What I decided was to tell the story without the puppets.  There is an old saying in the theater "the show must go on!"  So I worked out some motions to suggest the characters (monkey, lion, crocodile, elephant, giraffe, and hippo) and, with the help of my interpreter, told the story.  It wasn't a puppet show, but it got the message and I think was entertaining for the kids.

After the no-puppet show the kids had to line up to go inside our "kids' club" room and do a craft and receive a knapsack and some sweets (that's candy to you and me).  Immediately a problem arose as all of those children began to press toward the door and make it difficult to get in and nearly impossible to get out.  I struck up a conversation with some older school children and recruited two of them to assist me in keeping the others in line.  They did a fantastic job and I rewarded them by personally taking them through the clothing line so they didn't have to wait (since they had given up over an hour of potential queue time to help me).  Their names were Siphosethu and Bongani.

After the work of the day was complete we were treated by the church to tea and scones and we left just as the sun was setting over the mountains.

In Madudula

The tent

This morning we headed to Madudula, which we formerly called the 'tent' site because in 2007 we set up a large circus tent in an open field and that tent served as clinic, distribution center, church, and community meeting place for over 2 years.  The tent is gone now (in fact, I saw it folded up in the back of the church in Matsapha, see the photo).  But just a stone's throw from where the tent stood there now stands a fully build clinic that is serving as a temporary meeting area while the rest of the construction project goes forward.

I got to see the pump house where the water from the well is pumped.  I assisted the water guru Chris Serik a.k.a. "Themba Manzini" in attaching a proper set of filters to the pipe and we drank the water from the tap.  It is an important step because we cannot charter a school  unless there is a clean water source on site.

Posing with Archie

I also had a chance to observe how far the construction has progressed on the classrooms.  Two are nearly completed.  The others had significant block work done while we were there.  Much to my delight I had a chance to catch up with Archie Ngwenya.  He was the second person I met in Swaziland and owns the business that manufactures the block for our construction.  I visited his block works in 2008 and had a chance to make a block myself.  The block I made is probably in one of the buildings behind us.

First work day, near Pigg's Peak

Rode up through the mountains to a town in northwestern Swaziland.  I did not write down the name of the town but it was not too far from Pigg's Peak.  The school we visited was perched high on a mountain and looking down into the valley below we could clearly see the Maguga Dam reservoir. 

We had a service in the open space between the classrooms and afterward set up a clinic in one class and our clothing distribution in another.  I was tasked with getting (and then keeping) the lines in order.  At first it was a mess because the lines crossed each other, but after a bit of creative juggling I managed to get them separated and after that the whole operation ran smoothly. 

The nurses were able to see all the patients who wished to see them and we gave away all the clothes we brought.  I had a very nice time talking to some school children.  We are always a curiousity when we go to a town for the first time.  The kids are always eager to practice their English and I get to practice my siSwati.

I took this picture while the Bishop Nelson Vilakati was preaching.  In the forground on the left is Pastor Van Moore of the Vision of Missions Tabernacle church in North Philadelphia.  To the right in the foreground is my pastor, Pastor Angelo Juliani of Bridge Community church.  Standing to the left is Bishop Vilakati and to his right is Pastor Acorn of CMC, who was translating.  I love the way the small child in the center walked up and stood among the pastors.  It reminded me of Matthew 19:14 in which Jesus said:  "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

A slow day in Matsapha

This was a slow day today the container was not delivered until after dark. We went to the Christian Ministries Church (CMC) in Matsapha and had a great time playing with kids and talking to people around the church. 

At one point a few of the ladies from CMC set up the goals for a game of netball, which is a game similar to basketball.

As the sun set we realized that there was going to be no unloading of the container, but I think it was a good first day because we had a chance to get to know our team members from Swaziland.

Arrived in SWZ @ 4 pm and were greeted by the church. Saw many old friends. Dinner in Manzini, then a team mtg and finally bed.

Landed in S. Africa. Long flight and no sleep but wide awake with excitement. Bus to Swaziland now.

The tent in Madudula at night (2008)

Jesus said, "You are the light of the world--like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden."  -- Matthew 5:14 (NLT)

Day-to-day schedule

Here is our team's schedule, or a reasonable approximation of it.  Everything is, of course, subject to change.  Please be praying for as as we travel tomorrow and Sunday.

Sat. July 24 -- Depart from JFK

Sun. July 25 -- Arrive Johannesburg, bus to Swaziland

Mon.  July 26 -- unpack container, orientation, possibly travel to Mbabane to learn about teaching credentials in Swaziland

Tue.  July 27 -- distribution of relief goods, clinic, kids' club, and worship service in Malindza

Wed. July 28th -- distribution of relief goods, clinic, kids' club, and worship service in Mafutseni

Thu. July 29th -- distribution of relief goods, clinic, kids' club, and worship service in Madudula

Fri. July 30th -- distribution of relief goods, clinic, kids' club, and worship service in Mankayane

Sat. July 31st -- All day picnic and fellowship with all the churches in the CMC network in Madudula (where the tent used to be, and the clinic & school will be)

Sun. Aug. 1st -- Special ordination service for all the churches in the CMC network in Matsapha

Mon. Aug. 2nd -- Day Off, hopefully visit Mantenga Cultural Village

Tue. Aug. 3rd -- distribution of relief goods, clinic, kids' club, and worship service in Mbabane

Wed. Aug. 4th -- distribution of relief goods, clinic, kids' club, and worship service in a location TBD.

Thu. Aug. 5th -- bus to Johannesburg, flight home

Fri. Aug. 6th -- home!

It's the final countdown

[Da-da-daaa-duuuum ... ]

Less than 24 hours until I depart.  Today some last minute preparations.

Went to the chiropractor this morning to get all straightened out prior to my loooooong flight to Africa.  Made a follow-up appointment for when I get back.

Let's see, what to do today?

Better check and make certain that AT&T finally got my texting plan correct.  What a hassle that has been; no one seems to really know the plans well.  Finally I got a customer service rep who seemed to know what she was talking about and then I checked and she had added the WRONG plan.  She added the plan for texting FROM the U.S. TO international numbers, I needed the plan for texting FROM an international roam TO the U.S.  /sigh.  I think/hope the CSR I talked to last night got it straightened out.  I should be able to update this blog from Africa but will be limited to 150 characters so you can expect very concise posts until I get back and can again be long-winded.

Also have to go to REI to get two more water bottles for team members plus a couple of mesh bags that  teammates want to use as shower caddies.  I will also get a survival radio there; I wasn't impressed with the Wal-mart version and returned two of the three I bought.

I have to decide whether there is any American style food I really am craving before I leave.  I have had my Chipotle burrito, my Pizza Hut stuffed-crust pizza, my Egg McMuffin, and my Whopper with cheese.  I may get a steak but perhaps not since I don't want to eat too much heavy food prior to spending a long day on an airplane.

All the clothes I want to take are clean and ready to be packed, I should probably straighten up my office before I leave but I am skeptical that will happen.  I will need to pick up the stuff I have left scattered around the house or my wife will be unhappy.

Two days to go!

Getting ready today means doing laundry and packing my suitcase.  Tonight we have a special packing meeting during which we will each pack a piece of 'team luggage.'  What this means is that one of our two allotted checked bags will be filled with supplies for the team and the other with personal items.  My team bag will contain the puppets and some other supplies.  Having only 1 bag plus a carry-on for personal gear means I have to be selective about what I bring.

Another item on my agenda for today is to prepare my notes from my last two trips and place them in a binder to take with me.  We are all expected to bring a binder for team notes, song sheets, etc.  I purchased the binder last night, so today I just have to print out my notes and insert them.

Finally, I will be visiting one of my daughters and her two children.  I think we are going to a playground with the grandkids, so I am looking forward to that.

Preparations, continued again

Today I bought the Dunkin Donuts coffee that I forgot to buy yesterday. Two bags; one for the suitcase and one for the carryon to ensure no days without coffee. Also learned how to update this blog via texting, which will allow me to update daily from Swaziland, but looks like I will be restricted to 160 characters.

Puppets!

Just wanted to post a picture of the puppets that I am taking to Swaziland for the Kids' club stories.  As always, click for a larger image.

Preparations, continued

Four days to go!  Got up early today to run some more errands.

Stop 1 was the barber shop to get a trim on the noggin and beard.  Chuck at Ralph's Barber Shop in Glenside always does a great job.

Stop 2 was Dunkin' Donuts. I forgot why and bought a sausage egg and cheese sandwich and a coffee.  I was supposed to buy 2 lbs. of original blend coffee to take with me.  I'll have to go back.  I have made an arrangement with Cheryl, one of the nurses.  She is bring a coffee press and I am bringing the coffee. Then we'll both enjoy coffee with our breakfast.  Seemed like a better idea than buying and packing my own coffee press.

Stop 3 was Wal-mart.  (Please don't flame me, I know that PBS Frontline has questioned whether Wal-mart is good for America but I am not prepared to take a dogmatic stance on the Wal-mart issue at this time.)  I was still looking for luggage and a fleece bag.  I didn't like the luggage and didn't find a fleece bag but I did find some crank-powered radios.  They weren't as nice as the ones at REI but they were more compact and a little less expensive so I bought three to give away.  I also bought a birthday present and card for my nephew's girlfriend.  (She's getting Twilight:  New Moon on BluRay.  I think she'll like it.)

Stop 4 was Sears for luggage.  On the way in I saw some swim trunks with the design of the Bennington flag on them.  I admit I was tempted to purchase them. But it is actually against the law (US Code Title 4, Section 8d) to wear the U.S. flag so I resisted the temptation, even though technically the Bennington flag is not the U.S. flag.  I know and deeply respect too many veterans who would be offended -- the novelty wouldn't be worth it.  I did manage to find a nice set of luggage though.  Now I can start packing.

Stop 5 was Dick's to once again look for a fleece bag.  I found a green one but it wasn't exactly what I wanted.  Close, but not close enough.  I think I will just take a set of sheets and use the blankets at the convent where we are staying.  I did purchase a bouncy lacrosse ball for a skit I plan to do with my puppets in Swaziland.

Stop 6 was home.  Planned to pay some bills and update this blog before heading out to see The Last Airbender.  Got caught up working on my computer and missed the movie; maybe tomorrow.

Please keep praying.  More later ...

Preparations

Spent the morning diddling and fiddling because it was raining and I didn't want to drive.  As the skies cleared I decided to get to work on preparations for my trip.

Stop 1 was REI to pick up three BPA-free Nalgene bottles.  I had one that had been on five mission trips on three continents, but I left it unattended in 2008 for a few minutes, and it disappeared into the high veldt.  I bought its replacement plus a bottle each for Pastor Van and his brother-in-law Chuck.  I also looked for a fleece bag and a cheap backpack but the fleece bags were too small and the backpacks too pricey.  Last item was a survival radio.  The kind that operates on solar or by cranking it and has AM/FM, weather band, and a built-in flashlight.  Sticker shock made me put off the purchase but I suspect I'll be back by the end of the week.

Stop 2 was Target, to comparison shop for a fleece bag, backpack, and survival radio.  They had no fleece bags and no survival radios, but I did find an inexpensive backpack that had the elastic side pouches for my water bottle.  $8.99 and sold!  While at Target I surprised myself and bought some new cargo shorts, which I really needed.  I think it's been 2 years since I've purchased new summer clothing and it's starting to show.

Stop 3 was Office Depot where I bought nothing but decided that what I really wanted was some cheap pens and a small spiral pad, just one.  Years ago I learned from Rick Buddemeier, a friend and missionary-mentor to me, to always have a pad and pen handy to write down names and contact information of people you meet.  I've done it on every trip since and it's always proven to be sound advice.

Stop 4 was Pathmark to purchase a rotisserie chicken for tonight's potluck and prayer meeting.  Fail!  They were sold out.  I bought some ribs instead for my lunch and will go back after finishing this post and claim one of the birds that was in the rotisserie cooking.  Bought my notepad and some blue ballpoint pens.

Home now and writing this up, seems more boring than I expected but will post anyway and then head back to the Pathmark for my chicken and then on to the potluck/prayer meeting.

More preparations and perhaps a more interesting post tomorrow.  Meanwhile, you can check out Mary/Sihle's blog.

I own a chicken!

Yes, I own a chicken.  It was given to me as a "thank you" by a woman named Dudu Matsenjwa on behalf of her family.  It was actually the second chicken that was given to our team.  I accepted a chicken from the church in Madudula (the church that met in "the tent") that was given to our team.  I had no idea what to do with a live chicken, but I asked a man from the main church in Matsapha and he transported it for us (and also slaughtered it, cooked it, and served it -- along with several other chickens -- at a dinner following the next Sunday service).

But THIS chicken I did not eat.  This chicken I entrusted back to the Matsenjwa family to take care of for me.  Now, as I understand it, the arrangement is this:  The chicken is mine.  In return for caring for the chicken for me, the Matsenjwa family is entitled to eat any unfertilized eggs and (I am pretty sure) to some of the chicks and to their eggs as well.  But the chicken and most of its offspring belong to me.  When I return, I have the option of giving the chickens to the family, to other families, or to ask the Matsenjwas or some other family to care for the chickens for me.

The truth is, I don't really know what to expect when I get back to Madudula.  It has been 2 years since I last visited Swaziland, and I don't know how old my chicken was (the life expectancy of a chicken is about 7 years if it manages to avoid Perdue, Tyson, or Colonel Sanders).  I also don't know how many chicks this particular chicken is likely to have had, or how many chickens the Matsenjwa family has needed to eat or sell to make ends meet.

Nevertheless, when I return to Madadula, I plan to take a walk over to the Matsenjwa farm and visit them (and the chicken).  So when I get home I'll let you know how it turned out.

Please pray for this family.  They are: Ian, the father who is trained as a paramedic but who has had difficulty finding work, Dudu, the mother, and the children, Ntsikelelo, Thabo, Zuzu, Mcebo, Ebenezer, and Dabenhle.

The Container

Every time that our team has gone to Swaziland, we have sent ahead a cargo container with relief supplies (medical, clothing, baby formula, etc.)

I thought you'd be interested in seeing these pictures of the container being loaded.

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As always you can click to view a larger image.

The container shipped in early June and should arrive in Durbin, South Africa soon.  From there it will travel by train to Matsapha, Swaziland and will then be delivered and unloaded at Pastor Nelson's church.  When our team is in Swaziland we will distribute these supplies in eight separate locations around the Kingdom.

Please pray for the safe arrival of these essential supplies, and thank you to everyone who donated items that were shipped on the container.

Back from vacation!

Hello!

If you have been returning to this blog wondering why I stopped posting, it is because I was on vacation with my lovely wife.  We are back and I plan to get back on schedule with regular updates.

Also, if you have any questions or suggestions for a post topic, please tack a comment onto this post and I'll get back to you.

Kingdom of Roses and Thorns

I think today I'll give a plug for this book:  The Kingdom of Roses and Thorns by Debra Liebenow Daly.  My wife, who traveled to Swaziland in 2005, said it was a very good book and helped her understand more fully the things she saw and experienced on her trip.

I am reading it now, so I will have more to say later.  But I did like this poem from the inside leaf:

You will travel to Africa somehow

believing that you will change it,

But Africa will change you.  

It will capture your heart and keep a piece of your soul.

You will always be drawn back to the

beauty and mystique that is Africa.

How to donate

If you would like to donate to Swaziland Relief, you can go do so electronically at the website linked below.

Make an online donation

If you wish for your donation to go to my trip fund in particular, you need to put my name in the box following the amount.  See the picture below (click it to view a larger image).  I would also suggest that you put your address in the notes box, that will make it easier for you to receive a receipt for your donation.

What were you doing back in 1983?

I remember the 1980's fondly.  For me, 1983 was my freshman year of high school.  It was the year that our Marching Band won states. 

Here is a link to some other events from 1983, just to jog your memory.

Ok, are you back?

In 1983 in the Kingdom of Swaziland, Pastor Nelson Vilakati began his ministry, and he and his congregants began to pray for God to "show us our brothers and sisters, not only in Africa but overseas." 

In 2007, when our first team arrived, he told us that they were glad that finally this had happened.  You can watch the video of Pastor Nelson saying this, I'll be here when you're finished.  (I encourage you to watch the whole video, but if you don't want to just now, you can scroll to 4:21 on the first of the two videos on the page.)

Ok, back again?

Now let me take out a napkin and write a neat math problem for you.  From 1983 to 2007 is 24 years!  Twenty-four!  Two dozen.  Just shy of a decade in a half.  8766 days.  210,384 hours.  Ok, you get it.  It's a long time.

That is how long Pastor Nelson and his congregation prayed for partners from overseas to join them.  I was standing in the room when that video was filmed.  It sent a chill up my back to think of what a momentus occasion it was. 

Learning the Language

The official language of business and government in Swaziland is English.  This makes our work easier in many ways.  For example, any native Swazi who has attended school through high school can converse in both English and siSwati, so we have numerous translators available.  Also, it is possible to have a conversation with most Swazis in English, with little to no knowledge of siSwati.

But I really wanted to learn the language, so armed with my small spiral notebook and a pen (thank you Rick Buddemeier for the training) I got off the bus in Madudula for the first time near the grocery store pictured below, and set out to introduce myself and learn. 

I should mention that when we saw the sign for the grocery, a lot of us saw the "PHILA" and thought of home in the Philadelphia metropolitan region.  That's pronounced "PEEL-ah" but I didn't know that when I first arrived back in 2007.

The first person I met was named Nhlanhla Ngwenya.  All consonants are pronounced.  Yeah, that was a challenge.  For what it's worth, the second person I met was named Archie.  Of course he pronounced it with a British English accent so it sounded like "AH-chee" but I figured it out when I asked him to spell it.  Nhlanhla was much tougher.

I should mention that many African languages were non-literate prior to contact with Europeans.  Please note I said non-literate, not illiterate.  Illiteracy suggests that the language is written but that a person does not know how to read and write.  Non-literate means that the language simply has no codified system for writing it.  SiSwati and many other languages were reduced to writing in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, mainly through the work of missionaries.  After all, you can't give a person a Bible if you can't write it down in their language.

Anyway, the upshot of a language that has only been written in a standard form for a hundred or so years is that the linguists who reduced it to writing avoided many of the irregularities that make English such a mess to learn.  In siSwati (as far as I have been able to determine), all consonants and vowels are pronounced.  Once one learns how to pronounce them, one can read the language (understanding it takes considerably more work).

One pitfall was the fact that siSwati uses sounds that are not used in English.  One is a click made with the tongue on the palate which is represented by the letter "C."  Another is a kind of hiss sound made by aspirating with the tongue pressed up against the palate.  To pronounce it, press your tongue against your palate like you are going to say the letter "L" and then breath like you are saying an "H."  Cool sound right?  Well, that is written (sensibly enough) "HL" in siSwati.

Back to the guy I met, his name was Nhlanhla.  All consonants pronounced.  I had to listen to it three times before I dared try to pronounce it.  And when I did, it sounded like "Shaa-shaa."  It sounded right to me.  Not to him!  He told me to call him "Lucky" because that is what Nhlanhla means.  But I was determined not to give up (as I mentioned, this was the first person I met).  Finally I got closer, pronouncing the "N's" and saying something like "Nshaan-shaan."

I think I eventually got better, maybe not.  But I am determined to keep trying.  There is very little material available in the States on learning siSwati, but I've had very good tutors while I've been in Swaziland.  Most of all, being someone whose (very easy to pronounce) name is often butchered, I want to learn to say the names of all the wonderful people I have come to know in the Kingdom of Swaziland.

More on language later.  I have to leave for a team potluck and meeting ...

Thanks to the many supporters!

I have been blessed by an overwhelming display of encouragement and financial support from my co-workers.  I just want to say thanks again and I sincerely hope many of you will keep checking back here as I continue to post background information, updates, and eventually NEW PICTURES from this year's trip.

Now, since it is my anniversary, I am taking my wife out for Mexican food.

Comfort is my name

My siSwati name is Mduduzi.  This means "comfort."  Read on and you will learn how I came to receive this name.

The first time I went to Swaziland, back in 2007, our team did most of our work in a very small village called Madudula.  The Swazi pastor who had invited us to come had told our pastor to "bring a tent."  By this he meant a large circus tent that would fulfill the role of church, health clinic, meeting room for the kids' program, distribution center for the clothing donations that the team brought, and at night, storage facility for the team's supplies.  

Our first task when we arrived was rolling out the tent and setting it up.  No one really knew how to, but we had several people who sort of knew how, but what we lacked in knowledge we made up for in enthusiasm.  As we worked, a crowd gathered, and many of them joined in to help us.  (Click the picture for a larger image.  I am wearing a red shirt and a tan hat, third from the left, in the back)

At night, several members of our host church would sleep in the tent to make sure that all of our supplies were secure.  I became friends with two of them in particular, Sifiso (left, in the suit, interpreting a sermon for Pastor Van Moore) and Ntsikelelo.  I asked permission to stay for a night at the tent with my new friends.

Two days later, I arrived in Madudula ready -- so I thought -- to spend the night.  It was an exciting day, knowing that when the rest of the team left, I would be there all night getting to know my friends and learning about their culture.  I especially had in mind an opportunity to learn more of the language, siSwati.  

Around 9:30 pm, the Americans and South Africans boarded the bus to return to the camp retreat center where our team was staying.  Some of my teammates were envious when they realized I was staying, although they were happy for me at the same time.  As the bus rolled out, I was struck by how far from home I was.  I was in AFRICA, and not only that, I was (soon to be, as the bus headed away) the only American for kilometers!

The first thing we did was go to sleep.  That isn't what I was expecting, but it makes sense.  Once we turned off the generator, there was no light.  I talked briefly with my friend Ntsikelelo (left, interpreting at one of the meetings inside the tent), and then we went to sleep.

At least, I tried to sleep.  But I found I was not at all prepared for the cold.  I had two blankets and my coat.  Sleeping on the wooden platform inside the tent, I got cold very quickly.  Swaziland is a high-altitude country, so the atmosphere is thin.  Once the sun goes down, the heat radiates out very quickly.  By midnight I was shivering with cold.  I would not have been able to sleep at all had Ntsikelelo not noticed and offered to share his straw mat with me.  The insulation provided by the mat and having Ntsikelelo's back to mine helped me make it through the night.  But I was very glad for morning to arrive.  

The next morning we had a fire, and boiled water in an iron kettle to heat it up for a wash, and the sun came out, and I had a great opportunity to get to know my friends.  Later that day, Sifiso stopped me as we were working and said "you must have a siSwati name.  Your name is Mduduzi.  It means comfort."

I was honored to be given a siSwati name, but I wondered why he chose that name.  It was ironic to me to be named "comfort" after spending the most uncomfortable night of my life in Madudula.  But Sifiso told me "it is because you came and stayed with us and comforted us at the tent."  

So that is my siSwati name:  Mduduzi.  And that, of course, is why my blog is titled "Comfort for Swaziland."  Many Americans on the team were given a siSwati name that year and in the years that followed, but I was honored to be the first.

Welcome to my Swaziland Blog

Welcome and thanks for checking out my blog.  For the past four years I have been part of a team of Americans who has partnered with South Africans and Swazis to try to bring love, hope, and comfort to people -- especially children -- who have been hard-hit by poverty and the crisis of AIDS in the Kingdom of Swaziland.

As you can tell, this blog is very new.  Now that the school year is finished, I will be taking time over the next week to post some of the background about my involvement with Swaziland.  I hope you will visit regularly, maybe subscribe, and hopefully share your comments as I chronicle my experiences.