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.