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.