July 11 - a "sports day" in Madudula

One of the most important aspects of our annual trips to Swaziland is the building and maintaining of relationships with the local churches.  They are our hosts, our partners, and our friends; people we have worked alongside, in some cases, since 2007.  In pursuit of the goal of relationship-building, the past 2 years we have scheduled a recreational "sports day" in Madudula, for which all of the churches gather and compete in races and games.

The USA did not field a soccer team this year; the less said about our previous soccer teams, the better.  Suffice it to say that I was eligible to play again, because apparently the red card for dangerous play does not carry over from previous years.  Nonetheless, I did not come out of retirement to play this year.

The races were fun to watch.  There were separate divisions set up by age and sex.  The most interesting race to watch was the older women; I wish I had taken a photo of the bogogo (grandmothers) dashing across the field, but alas, I did not have my camera at the ready.  

Of course, where there is sport there is injury.  Two of our men pulled hamstrings during their races.  I got some pretty nice pictures of the injuries as they happened (not nice that it happened, but a well-captured shot of the action).

I also captured some interesting photos of the races as they finished, including one of team member Antwan winning by a finger ...

...  and the grin of a victorious pastor Themba Fakudze as his team defeated the US team in the 4x4 relay.  That was quite a race to watch.  Our 2nd runner was out in the lead when he stumbled and fell.  In a move that became a living parable, he got up and continued his race!  He actually made up some of the ground he lost and passed our teams baton on to the number 3 runner.  He gave us a picture of perseverance in the face of difficulty, and finishing the race!  Another living parable was when our 3rd runner passed the baton to our anchor man, his son.  

Two other new and interesting things I saw that day were the library at the school in Madudula, and the playground.  Both of these were the work of a Peace Corps worker who has been in Swaziland for the past year.  She was an invaluable help to us in communicating with the school.  She's back in the US now, but her legacy will live on in Madudula.

July 10 - spending a day in "Jersey"

On Friday, July 10th the Swaziland Relief team journeyed to another remote location where we had never gone before.  As was the case with Phangwini, I didn't know the name of the place until the day we actually headed there, so for purposes of identification (and in place of calling it "the place where we are going Friday) I dubbed this region "Jersey."

The name of the place is actually Nsubane, and it lay to the southeast in the shadow of the Lubombo plateau, which forms Swaziland's eastern border. 

There was no discernible village, just a few buildings including one small grocery and one general merchandise store.  The place was quite desolate.  There was evidence of the drought conditions that Swaziland is facing in the dusty fields bereft of any remaining grass and in the skinny cows that still attempted to graze on what meager plants remained.

In spite of the desolate conditions of the land, the people we met in Nsubane were joyous and welcoming.  I have often remarked that when we travel to the various regions in Swaziland, we are greeted "like rock stars."  Let me show you what I mean.  When our truck and vans pulled up to the building at Nsubane where we were going to be holding our clinic and distribution, we were greeted by a half dozen (or more) women who were dancing with joy!

Once we unloaded we followed our typical routine of setting up the clinic and the distribution.  Again we had a yellow and white circus tent to use for the distribution, and a cinderblock structure that housed the clinic.  We used one of our 22 passenger vans as the back "wall" of our distribution center, see the picture with the "shoe department" ready for action.  I also took a shot of our nurse Katie and our "pharmacist" Jason looking out of the clinic window toward the Lubombo plateau in the distance.

Before beginning the distribution and clinic, we held a service.  Pastor Angelo preached a powerful message of God's love and hope, and over 20 people came forward to receive Christ at Bishop Nelson's invitation.  The picture shows the people who came forward being prayed over by Pastor Harry Washington of Vision of Mission Tabernacle church in Philadelphia.

There were no other buildings nearby and no shelter handy from the intense sun (the sun is quite hot in Swaziland, even in winter), so we improvised for the prayer chapel by moving our other 22 passenger van to the side of the clinic building and placing chairs in the shade of the van for our chapel.

I spent most of my time in the prayer chapel in Nsubane (when I wasn't taking all these pictures).  Many people came for prayer for healing, blessing, encouragement, and protection.  One of the most moving moments was when a woman brought her son who was suffering from some kind of paralysis or weakening of his body (I'm not going to pretend to diagnose).  Each member of the prayer team took a turn holding this boy and praying for him.  Here is a picture of Pastor Van holding the boy.  You can also see his mother holding him in the photo with Pastor Harry praying (pink shirt and red skirt in the foreground).

I prayed for his healing, knowing that God can heal by medicine and by miracles.  He did not rise and walk that day, but I still have hope that he will rise and walk some day, if not on this earth, then in the world that is to come.

July 9 - Journey to "Delaware"

In 2015, the Swaziland Relief team visited two very remote villages that we had never visited before.  No one even seemed to know the name of the villages we were visiting when we asked about it, so I temporarily dubbed our destination on Thursday "Delaware" and our Friday destination "Jersey."  So, on July 9 we got up early and began our journey south to "Delaware."

Our trip took us as far south as we could travel while remaining in Swaziland, less than a mile from the southern border.  We then traveled for a short stretch along a highway that parallels the border, and ultimately turned north onto a dirt and gravel road.  Just after turning off the road, we waited for about 15 minutes for a guide to arrive to show us the rest of the way to the village.

It turned out that "Delaware" is actually called Phangwini.  We were received there with a joyous welcome!  We arrived just as some men in the yard were dressing a freshly slaughtered goat for their supper that evening (yes, I have pictures; no, I won't post them).  Our team took over the small building for our medical clinic and a small circus-style tent for the clothing distribution.  As the team set up, Pastor Van Moore preached a message of salvation and hope to the people waiting. 

On this day, I joined the prayer chapel team.  Once people have visited the distribution center and clinic, they are invited to visit the prayer chapel.  There our team prayed for healing, blessing, deliverance, encouragement, and protection.  It was a blessing to pray alongside the rest of the prayer chapel team.

It was a short work day; there were fewer people in Phangwini than we had seen in any of the other locations, likely because of the remoteness of the location.  After the distribution was complete, and while the clinic was finishing up, our team members taught some of the kids games.  Some learned to bat a wiffleball, and others played ultimate (although with no frisbee, they used a rubber dog chew toy).

Long drive home afterward, with a late supper and a team meeting following.  Tomorrow we head to "Jersey."

July 8 - Zindwendweni Day 2

On Wednesday July 8th the Swaziland Relief team traveled a second time to the remote village of Zindwendweni in southeastern Swaziland.  This time we were expecting a large crowd and planned a full-on distribution of clothing and shoes.  Our expectations were not disappointed.

Our morning began a usual with breakfast at the convent.  We had to get up early, thought, because we had a lot to do and a long drive again.  After breakfast we took the khombis (vans) to the main CMC church in Matsapha to load boxes for the distribution.

The method we use when deciding which boxes to load is orderly but not precise.  When we loaded the container back in May we sorted all the clothing donations by gender, adult or child, and size.  So when we load up for a distribution in Swaziland, we take a certain number of boxes marked "Men's S-M" or "Girls size 7-16" along with boxes labeled "shoes" or "coats."  We bring more women's and children's clothing because they make up the vast majority of the people that come for the distribution.

Once we had our boxes for the day selected and loaded (precariously) on a flatbed truck that was about the size of a Ford F-150, we made the 2 hour drive to Zindwendweni.

Once at the village, we were provided with four rooms of the school to use.  One was strictly for shoes, and the other three was for adult men, adult women (with or without small children), and children of either sex.  I was assigned to the "men's department."  Each department set up the room to facilitate movement through it, opened boxes, and sorted clothes by size and type.  For example, in the men's department, we sorted S-M and L-XL separately, and for each size we separated pants from shirts and cool weather shirts from sweaters and sweatshirts.  I also set up a station for the suits that we had.  The men, especially the older men, love to get suits and sportcoats.  

Once we were set up (a process taking about an hour) we started to take people through each of the departments.  The school's layout helped us here, because it consists of an open courtyard surrounded by all of the classrooms, with the doors facing in.  We were thus able to set up queues (that's "lines" to you Americans) in the courtyard that ended at the doors of the various departments.  

The distribution was very orderly, but there are always many people and the numbers swell throughout the day as new people arrive and those who were already served hang around.  I took the picture above from the doorway of the shoe department late in the day.  It is difficult emotionally to know that no matter how long we stay, we will run out of supplies long before we are able to meet every need.  But then, who can supply all of our needs except God alone?  

July 7 - Zindwendweni, day 1

On Tuesday July 7 the team traveled to a remote village in southeastern Swaziland called Zindwendweni.  We had been there once in 2014, and this year we returned for two days. 

Getting to Zindwendweni required a 2 hour khombi (van) ride, the last half hour of which was on a dirt road through the bush. 

On Tuesday we held our medical clinic and prayer chapel  Meanwhile, two puppetry teams visited the classrooms sharing the story of Jesus healing the paralytic from Mark 2, and another team visited all the classrooms giving a lesson on hygiene and the importance of hand washing.

After the classroom visits we hung out in the school's open courtyard playing with the children.  One team member brought some frisbee discs and the children -- who had never seen a frisbee before -- delighted in learning to throw and catch them.

The clinic wound down close to sunset, but they were able to see everyone who had come, to our great delight.  As the sun set over the horizon, the team loaded back into the khombis and began the 2 hour journey back to the convent for supper.

July 6 photos, with captions

As promised, here is a collection of pictures from July 6, when the team unloaded the container and visited the orphan care point in Manzini.

A game of "Ninja" ensued as we waited for the container to arrive!

My daughter Jasmine gave a tumbling lesson to our South African teammates Rebecca and Goodness.

As important as our relief work is, building relationships is what makes Swaziland Relief strong.  The lull in the action while waiting for the container gave Gcwalisile and Michele a chance to just enjoy one another's friendship

Once the container arrived, it was "all hands on deck" as we began the work of unloading and sorting boxes.

The container is opened, and a message from the team that loaded it was revealed.  [Sani Bonani is a greeting in siSwati]

Over 750 boxes were passed along a chain from the container to the Sunday school room that served as our temporary warehouse.

The boxes were neatly stacked and sorted by contents.

Team member Ted displays the box that was marked as "about halfway" when the container was loaded back in May.

 Team member "Q" carries the last box from the container!

Their work complete (for the moment), the team poses for a picture.

Later in the afternoon, a visit to the orphan care point lifted the teams spirits and made us forget aching arms and backs.

"Please shoot me!"  The kids love having their picture taken and the images shown to them.

You can see from this beaming smile why the orphan care point is a favorite stop for the team!







 

July 6 - Unloading the Container

One of the most conspicuous activites of the Swaziland Relief mission is the loading of a 40 foot sea container full of medical supplies, clothing, shoes, blankets, and coats.  These are distributed through the CMC churches to their congregants, and by the team in one of several remote locations.  On Monday morning, July 6, the team went to Matsapha and waited for the container to be delivered.

And we waited ....

And waited ...

And waited ...

To amuse ourselves and keep our sanity, the team engaged in several activities.  They played "ninja" which is a kind of tag game but that description really doesn't do it justice.  One team member (my daughter) gave tumbling lessons to a teammate from South Africa, teaching her how to do a cartwheel and a round off.  Some played cards.  The nurses had a staff meeting.  And many of us were taught a worship song in siSwati that we had heard at the wedding on Saturday and again in church on Sunday.

I made book on when the container arrived.  Not for money, just for entertainment purposes only.  Each person signed up for a 15 minute time slot between 9 am (when the container was scheduled to arrive) and the end of the afternoon.  One person took the time slot of "tomorrow" but I told him he was being far to pessimistic.  Mirta won, with the 12:15 time slot.

Once the container was delivered, we had to get it open.  Last year this was a problem in and of itself.  The container is sealed with a small metal band.  It doesn't look like much but it is sturdy.  We had a very difficult time cutting it off last year because the driver of the truck did not bring the appropriate tool and our pocket tools could not cut the band, because the wire cutters were too far back on the tool and too small to cut the width of the band.

This year, though, I came prepared.  I bought a small pair of wire cutters with a wide angled cutting surface.  It opened the seal in 1 second.  Fool me once ...

Once the container was open, the work of actually unloading it began.  The team lined up and formed a chain to pass the 750 or so boxes from the container to the sunday school room which served as our "warehouse" for the trip.  I had marked some of the boxes when we loaded the container so we had an approximate halfway point.  A great cheer went up when team member Q carried the final box from the container to the storage room.  All of our boxes were unloaded, sorted, and stored awaiting the next day's distribution.

After the container was unloaded, it was rather late in the day, but we still had time to drive over to the orphan care point in the north end of Manzini run by our dear sister Collette.  We arrived to the orphans singing "I am the Winner in Christ my Lord" to us.  We visited with, sang with, and played with the children for about an hour and a half until the setting sun forced our return to the convent.

[I did not actually spend much time at the orphan care point, because we had medical supplies that had to be moved during that time, so I and two other team members rod the vans back to Matsapha and to the convent to move the supplies, and then met the others back at the orphan care point just as it was time to leave.]

One little girl really won over the hearts of the team with her exhuberance and joyful spirit.  I did not learn her name, but I did get her picture, and it is currently the profile picture for the Swaziland Relief Facebook page.

I have lots of pictures of this day that I will post on my blog with captions.  I'll send you a quick link to the blog when the pics are all posted.

July 5 - The team visits the CMC network churches

On Sunday, July 5, our team split up and visited six different locations in Swaziland and one nearby in neighboring South Africa.  The small teams visited Christian Ministries Churches in Mankayane,  Mafutseni, Nhlangano, and Mbabane as well as the main church in Matsapha and Bridge Christian Ministries Church located at the former "tent" site in Madadula. 

 

This map shows the locations, designated by a dark blue marker.

 

As for me, I had the privilege of visiting two locations.  I went with the largest of the teams to the main CMC church for Sunday school and left to visit a small congregation in the capital city of Mbabane.  The congregation is small enough that there is no separate program for children (not enough adults to administer one) so about a dozen or so children sat through church with the adults. 

 

In a particularly beautiful moment, the children came up front and sang two songs for  us and each one recited a Bible verse that he or she had memorized.  I love listening to children memorizing the Bible.  First of all, I enjoy their choice of verse.  Second of all, I delight in the idea of memorizing scripture.  I might lose my Bible, or have it taken from me, but no one can take the scriptures I have committed to memory.  It also reminds me of Psalm 119:11 "I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you."

 

It was also a joy to be teamed up with my daughter for the day.  I could (and will) write a whole separate post on the joy of traveling to Swaziland with my daughter.  For now, suffice it to say it was good to have her with me.

 

After church in Mbabane we returned to the convent and got there in time to take a short walk to the nearby supermarket for a snack, and have a bit of a rest before dinner. 

 

As is our custom, after dinner each team shared stories of their day.  Overall, the people of the various congregations had welcomed our teams and showered them with love.  Most stirring was the report of the team who visited the distant town of Nhlangano, which had not yet ever received a Sunday visit from one of our teams.  They were so excited, and they said to our team "we're so glad that you have remembered us!"

 

That has historically been one of the important themes of our trips to Swaziland:  reminding people who live in remote and often harsh places that God has not forgotten them. 

 

July 4, 2015 - A Wedding in Matsapha

Our first full day in Swaziland brought with it an invitation to a wedding. Our team was only told about the wedding a week in advance.  Fortunately I always bring my suit with me on trips (the Swazi church culture is formal).  

The wedding was quite a celebration.  There was singing and dancing for nearly an hour prior to the arrival of the bride and groom.  Not Kool and the Gang, but celebratory worship music.  The ceremony was not a solemn one, it was a joyous uniting of two people who love Jesus and love each other and wanted to publicly demonstrate their commitment to Him and one another.

Some highlights:

1) the groom and his groomsmen kneeling down before the bride and her brother (her father was not there, I think he has passed) and formally and publicly thanking the family for her.  See the picture.  I was blown away.  It stirred my heart such that, when I returned to the USA, I sent a message to my mother-in-law thanking her for raising my wife.

2) the groom's vows.  It was clear he was having a hard time understanding the officiant's accent (groom was from Zimbabwe, officiant -- my pastor -- is from Philadelphia).  But he nevertheless repeated them enthusiastically once he understood them.

3) the transition from the wedding to the reception.  we didn't change halls, or have a motorcade.  once the ceremony was completed, the guests were invited to queue up for a buffet dinner and we sat right there in the church (the chairs were turned to allow conversation)

4) the wedding MC.  I hypothesize that this guy was a paid professional.  I don't think the wedding program itself was rehearsed, but he kept the ceremony flowing and was as enthusiastic as the groom.

5) the wedding party's procession.  Waaaaay more than simply walking down the aisle, the wedding party entered to a choreographed dance, with each pair having some solo dance time.  After the ceremony they all got up and danced again.  It put me in mind of some of those awesome wedding videos you see on youtube where the bride and groom or some pair of guests has obviously choreographed an elaborate routine as a surprise for the guests.  I don't think this wedding party's dance was a surprise, but it was delightful.

Home, but not finished

It is so good to be home.  Our team arrived back in the USA on Friday July 17th.  After our two-week long mission to Swaziland and South Africa, it was a little sad to leave but oh so delightful to return to America.

By now Facebook has exploded with images, videos, and testimonies to the great work that God is accomplishing in Swaziland and that the team has been able to participate in and be witnesses of.  

As I mentioned in a previous post, the wifi situation in Swaziland was not what I had anticipated.  In the past we have used the wifi at the convent where we stay and I have been able to post nearly every day.  This year we did not have access to it.  We used mobile wifi and whenever I wanted to post I had to ask one of the team to turn on his phone to which we tethered.  It actually worked well but I in the interest of saving data I posted photos to Facebook (which reaches thousands) instead of to this blog (which reaches at the most dozens).  However, I have now learned how to post to my blog via email so in the future I anticipate being able to keep a daily log in real time, even if I can't post photos.

This year, however, as I have in the past, I will be sharing my daily logs in "time shifted" format.  I will post the actual date in the heading and describe the events of that day.  I hope you will find these stories to be worth the wait.

Wifi? Wi not fi?

Hello dear readers.  My darling wife has informed me that some of you have inquired about the lack of recent posts. 

Unfortunately this year the convent where we stay has no wifi avaliable to us.  I have spent what limited connectivity that was available to me in posting pictures to Facebook on behalf of the team.  But not to worry!  Comfort for Swaziland will yet chronicle this year's trip, albeit in time shifted form.  I will post installments (with pictures) as soon as I get back to the states.0

As remote as it gets

Today we went to the village of Zindwendweni in southeastern Swaziland.  It is one of the most remote regions in one of the most remote countries in the world.  It took us about an hour and a half on the highway to get to the dirt road turnoff, and then another half hour on a narrow dirt road through "the bush" (I will add a picture when I have more reliable internet available) to get to the small school where we held a free clinic and told the story of Jesus forgiving and healing a paralytic (Mark 2:1-12) with the children in the school.  The kids remembered us and our presentation from last year (the story of Zachaeus) and enjoyed the puppetry.  Again, I will add pictures when I get a better connection.

Regarding the connection, I am tethered to my friend's cell phone and it is the only connection to the internet that we have so far.  It makes this place seem even more remote that there is no reliable on-ramp to the information superhighway available. 

Arrived!

We have arrived in Swaziland.  After settling in and getting some (very much needed) sleep, we attended a wedding at the main Christian Ministries Church in Matsapha today. 

A wedding is always a celebration, but an African wedding especially so!  We sang and danced for nearly an hour before the wedding party entered.  They entered with a coordinated dance to a cheering crowd.  I cannot adequately explain the atmosphere but it was a celebration from start to finish. 

Afterward we shared a meal and then visited with old friends and made new ones.  Tomorrow our team will split into seven different smaller groups so that we can visit most (but not all) of the churches in the CMC network. 

I will be preaching at a service in the capital of Swaziland, Mbabane.  I would appreciate your prayers.  My text will be Mark 2:1-12, in which Jesus forgives, and then heals, a paralyzed man.

A seat by the lavatory

My wife would have liked being this close to the restroom.  My daughter switched seats with a young man from Angola to sit with me.  Long flight ahead ...

On the bus

Good morning!  Our journey has begun.  We are on out way to JFK airport where we will catch our flight to South Africa.  Once in Johannesburg we will take a second bus into Swaziland. 

Soon ...

Leaving tomorrow at 4:45 am!

T minus 12 and packing

Twelves hours from now I will be hopping in my car and driving to New Life Church in Glenside PA to begin this year's journey to Swaziland.

All I have to do now is pack.  Once I get home from my vacation with my wife and do some laundry and buy a couple more necessary items.

It's going to be a late night.

That's ok, I can sleep on the plane [ironic laughter from people who know I have never successfully slept on a plane].

Actually, my situation is not so very grim.  I have done plenty of "pre-packing" and organizing, and I pretty much know what I am going to take (the same stuff I took last year).

Still, if you think of it, say a prayer for me when you go to sleep tonight.  Chances are, I'm still up.

Ok, now I'm excited!

As the mission to Swaziland approaches many people ask me "are you excited?" I think sometimes they are disappointed when I don't seem particularly so.  I suppose it is because I am usually busy with the close of school right up to within a week or two of the trip.  Closing out a school year is a frenetic time and leaves little room for other excitements.  It's also possible that I have less anxiety or anticipation than people expect.  But after all, this will be my seventh trip to Swaziland.  It causes me no anxiety and I pretty much know what to expect in general.

Well, now it's less than a week from our departure and let me say:  I am excited!!

I am excited because this year my daughter is on the team and will be traveling with me.  I am looking forward to experiencing her first trip.

I am excited because two days ago while I was out disc golfing in Nockamixon state park, I got messages through Whatsap from three good friends in Swaziland expressing their anticipation of the team's arrival.  I am looking forward to reuniting with good friend in Africa.

And I am excited because, even though this will be my seventh time, and I know what to expect in general, I really don't know what God is going to do on this trip.  He works as He wills and there's just no telling what's in store.  "No one’s ever seen or heard anything like this, Never so much as imagined anything quite like it -- What God has arranged for those who love him."  (I Corinthians 2:9 MSG)  I am looking forward to finding out what God has arranged.  And I'll keep you posted!

A brief support and prayer update

So grateful for the support that has poured in so far.  I am currently 75% funded for this summer's Swaziland mission.  

I am also very grateful for the notes of encouragement that have accompanied many of the responses.

  

Thank you for all who are praying.  Right now I have been focusing a lot on my job as a high school teacher but the school year ends in a little over a month and not long after that I will be Africa-bound, so I will have to start dividing my attention between the end of the school year and preparations for the summer team.  

First team meeting

Should I stay or should I go?

It's that time of year again.  Already I have been asked: "Are you going to Swaziland this year?"  And as usual, my answer is: "Yes, unless I am somehow prevented."  This year I thought I was going to be prevented!

Nephew #1 is getting married this summer.  His wedding was originally scheduled to occur the day I was due to arrive home from Swaziland.  I couldn't risk missing his wedding due to a delay, and let's face it, how much fun would I be after a 15 hour plane ride and no sleep for a day and a half?

However, he moved his wedding date back (not to accommodate me, just serendipitously) and it looks like I am good to go.  Swaziland, here I come!

More later ...