Posted in A Trip Update by Doyle Wallace on 7/5/2009
Just found this...
Publisher, David C. Cook, feels that the message of the new novel, Scared: A Novel on the Edge of the World, is so important they are giving it away for free! You heard right, Scared can be downloaded for free until July 10th, simply by going to www.scaredthenovel.com.
Posted in A Trip Update by Teresa Tucker on 6/29/2009
Hello! I am Teresa, one of the leaders with Doyle and Tonya and up until now I would say that unfortunatly I have been pretty silent to this blog page. Now that I am back in the states I'd love to share a little of my heart with you. The past month with this team has been truly amazing. It has been nothing that I expected and everything that I could have ever wanted or needed. As I sit here writing this I am currently in a well air conditioned hotel, getting ready for leader debrief, on a double bed at about 5:30pm. It's crazy how things can seemingly change in an instant. I can't believe I am home.
It is now 11:30pm in Swaziland. I think about Doyle and Tonya settling in back at the house with the kids. The ambassador team had their first day of ministry today, and probably met the kids! I hope they saw my little girl SheShay(that's how it sounds, not how it's spelled!) I hope she got a lot of loving and that she serenaded them with her songs and giggles! Oh my heart is heavy for these kids today. What did they do and how are they? I am grateful though that they have a team to come in and love on them!
So here I am back in the states. Touched down around 7am and back into the hustle and bustle we were. It's funny because for most of the trip we would dream up and imagine what being home would be like. What would be our first meal? Who would we see first? Would we just want to talk about all our experiences right away or maybe just cry because we miss those kids and our team? Well, in my first 10 hours I have had McDonalds for my first meal. (not as good as I was counting on but YAY for sweet tea!) I have talked with my parents and best friends and really find that I can't even begin to put into words all that I feel or have experienced and already, I miss the people I met like crazy!
I find that I may have dreamt about home in Swazi all the time but here, I will dream about Swazi. It seems that maybe home is a bit more of a loser term now because part of my heart will be in Swazi forever and I really do think, at the risk of sounding cheesy, that home is where the heart is. So, to my team, keep swazi alive in your hearts and minds and bring the news of what is going there to those around you. Keep the news of Swazi alive, share your stories. pictures, videos, tears and laughs! Let people know what God did and is doing and remember your home in Swazi with your team and with the people there.
Posted in A Trip Update by Doyle Wallace on 6/29/2009
This is the recipe that Julie gave us to make the cakes for the Timbali Crafts retreat and for the final party at the carepoint. We renamed the recipe to thank Autumn for making all those cakes!
Posted in A Trip Update by Doyle Wallace on 6/29/2009
Doyle wrote this on the plane as we were flying to Swaziland. It was amazing to read it after the team shared their final debrief. God spoke this from the beginning, and He spoke it through the team during the entire trip.
Between the unsteady rocking of my seat and the whir of the jet engine it's hard to relax. My family and I are somewhere over South Carolina, traveling at nearly 650 miles per hour. We're flying into our destiny. Sometime ago God began to adjust my perspective, maybe rearrange my idea of who He is and who I was meant to be. So now, here we are on our way to Swaziland, Africa.
What is it about Swaziland that God wants to show us? Probably, not much about the country itself other than the beauty of His creation. No, most likely, God wants me to look into the eyes of Swazi people. Children, women, men -- all who are created in the image of the Creator. God likes to do that. He likes to bring us face to face with the deity in flesh. Every person carries the imprint to God upon them, but too many times we're blind to both Him and them.
You see, God is up to something. He is always up to something. From the Garden of Eden to Moses and the Burning Bush, David and Goliath, the prophet Elijah and Jesus. Yes, Jesus. What was He up to with Jesus? Jesus stands as the culmination of deity in flesh. The gospel of John says that Jesus is "the Word made flesh". To look into the eyes of Jesus was to look into the eyes of God and man simultaneously. Jesus is fully man and fully God.
Sometimes I wonder what it was like to look into Jesus' eyes. What kind of emotion would those eyes evoke? Would I be overwhelmed by guilt and shame because of what I don't see of myself or would I be consumed by a passion that causes me to completely forget myself? Would those eyes crush me or comfort me? Perhaps I would find myself both overwhelmed and consumed by the intense gaze of Jesus. To have my soul stripped bare and then wrapped in the warmth of His loving compassion; surely this is what it is to be held in the gaze of the living Christ.
I have a friend whose eyes are the most beautiful blue that one might imagine. Many times I have looked into his eyes and wondered what Jesus eyes will look like. I know that, according to good old common sense, Jesus eyes most likely are deep, dark brown. He was born Jewish so of course He would have dark eyes. The Bible never describes Jesus' eyes. What we do know about Jesus' eyes is that they cried, they looked to heaven, they looked with compassion, they looked with sorrow. What matters is not the color or size of Jesus' eyes. What mattered to the Father was the message held within those mysteriously beautiful eyes. These were the eyes that witnessed the glory of God before creation. These were the eyes that witnessed creation itself. These were the eyes of God.
My friend with the beautiful blue eyes makes me think of Jesus' eyes. Actually, my friend's eyes make me think of Jesus. I've seen joy, sorrow, mischief and even confusion in my friend's eyes. Those eyes have been both an indicator and a mirror. They indicate the state of my friend's heart and mirror the condition of my own. Jesus said that the eyes are the window of the soul. And Jesus wasn't afraid to look deeply into those windows and straight into the soul of a person, a soul as big as the sky.
Posted in A Trip Update by Doyle Wallace on 6/29/2009
Tuesday, June 23
We are learning to live a faith that is so real, we bleed Jesus. Here's how we start: Look for Jesus every morning in the eyes of the people you meet. And then look for Him in the mirror. Jesus in disguise.
I looked for Jesus today. I found Him at the Hope House in a 71 year old man from Portugal. He was so humble, and He gave praise to the Father for everything he said. I looked deep into his eyes and I saw a life of pain, yet there was joy. I also saw Jesus in a German chemistry teacher. And then I found Him in Kathryn who was taking care of her father. She was so happy to see us. Her face lit up when we walked to her. She wanted to sing and dance. She wanted us to pray for her father. She cried when we left and so did most of our group. I saw Jesus in my team today. They were His hands and His feet bringing hope, peace and compassion to the people they encountered.
Wednesday, June 24
We rented a Kumbi from Pete Johnston, an American who grew up in west Africa. We're going to Nsoko. It's an hour and a half drive from Manzini. We get to see firsthand how the Swazi 2-month team is living and to see the living conditions of the Swazi people. It's the poorest part of Swaziland. We've seen the videos on the AIM website, and we're anxious to experience it ourselves.
Nsoko is heart breaking. It's hot and it's dirty. I believe there are 8 carepoints in Nsoko, and they're all out in the middle of nowhere. You drive through fields and dirt roads that look undriveable. We found three carepoints with no children because there was no food. Teresa and half the team stayed at one of the carepoints with children. Doyle and the other half stayed at one carepoint with a few children, but there was no food either. He walked up to the general store and bought loaves of bread and a lemonade mix to feed the children something. Amanda and Matt drove me around to some of the carepoints and to check on their team. We found their team at a carepoint with a few children and no food. The teacher didn't show up that day to teach school because there was no food. We went to the local grocery and bought bread and oranges. One of the gogos ran to her hut to grab a knife to slice the bread. It was too dull to cut the bread, so she sharpened it on a rock. She sliced the bread into huge chunks. They were so appreciative. We've not seen this kind of poverty in Manzini or anywhere. Children, women, and men are starving to death, and we can do something about it...if we choose to.
We met Pastor Gift and his wife Pelele. Pelele asked me to speak at the women's meeting at 3:00. I asked God what He wanted to say, and He said it was really simple: tell them that I love them. I love the music. They sing from beginning to end and everything in between. Authentic worship, giving thanks to our gracious and merciful Lord!
Ntabis Church gave us a brie tonight. It was great, but it sure was cold! We had lots of meat. But no goat. I picked up a pretty good size piece of beef, and one of the mages said, "Don't you like meat? Swazi people love meat." I looked around and saw how everyone was getting a piece of each kind of meat. I don't think my stomach could take that much meat! It reminded me so much of our goat BBQ back home before we left.
Thursday, June 25
We went to the Manzini Market today. The team was so excited. Thursday is the big day at the market. That's when all of the crafters come from area carepoints. I almost felt guilty buying things after seeing what little the Swazi people have here. We Americans prospered their business today. (That's what they asked us to pray for when we prayer walked through the market a few days ago). We all came home and shared our found treasures. True authentic African treasures. Caleb got a drum. Josh got a segela (a weapon). Erin got a purse and jewelry. Sarah got a wooden giraffe. We bought gifts for family and friends. Doyle and I were done shopping. We had shopped enough for one day. The whole market was so overwhelming. One gift in particular was very special. Doyle and I were walking down one of the alleys looking at fabric. We found a Swaziland flag. (You can't buy an authentic flag; only the King gives those away). There were also beautiful shirts that looked like a nurse work shirt. Doyle turned to me with determination and said I'm getting this for Laura. I looked up at him. And he said it again. "This looks like Laura. I'm getting it for her." And then he started to cry. We miss our friends. We both started crying right there in front of the mage.
We ate KFC for lunch, and then headed to the carepoint dreading our last day with them children on Friday.
It's our last team time together. The ambassador team is coming tomorrow. We finally finished our God stories. I love our team. I believe they've grown spiritually during this trip. I pray so. We have become closer to each other and closer to the Lord. I don't think we'll realize how much until we get home.
Friday, June 26
Today was the hardest day. It's the last day at the carepoint. Time to say goodbye. We had a party! Autumn and Kelsey baked six cakes, and we bought some vanilla pudding. We also bought the gogos and mages lots of cleaning supplies and serving items to help with the cooking. Doyle brought the speaker and iPods, and we danced and sang with the children. It was so much fun. Then David Crowder "O Praise Him" started to play, and the team started to cry. Nesepo wouldn't let me go. She held on and we danced and sang and I cried. All of the kids stopped and looked at us. We were laughing and crying at the same time. The emotions were too much. And to add to all of this, Sarah is sick. My Sarah is running a fever. She begged me to let her go to the carepoint. She couldn't miss the last day, but we could tell she wasn't her usual spunky self.
We were to meet Julie at 4:30 at the AIM office so our team could buy Timbali purses. It took a long time to get everyone in the kumbis. No one wanted to leave the children. Our team was crying. The children were crying. I thought Sam was going to just put her twins in the kumbi with us. Those two little girls were sobbing as they walked home. They kept turning around and waving to Sam. We finally got everyone in the kumbis, and all of a sudden, some of the ladies started screaming with excitement. Staci and Edie came crashing out of the kumbi to see their "favorite" children. Lolo and Little Buddy hadn't been there all day, and they showed up as we were leaving. Staci and Edie held their babies and cried and cried. It was such a gift to them to be able to say goodbye.
The team bought lots of purses and agreed to take some back with them to sell in the states. I filled up two suitcases full of purses. 100 bags. I loved those purses before I came to Africa, but now that I've met the gogos and mages who make them they're even more special to me.
We decided to have a brie with the Ambassador team. We ate good tonight! Grilled chicken, rice and salad. Elysa -- your daughter Anna asked God to bless the food and gave thanks for it, and she got to be the first one to eat. She's a sweet girl!
Saturday, June 27
We left at 8:00 am this morning to go to the internet cafe. We also had to say goodbye to Titi. She'll be working with the Ambassador team next week, so our family will get to see her again. Sarah is still running a fever. As long as I keep giving her Tylenol, she feels okay.
We took the scenic Ezulwini Valley route toward Mantenga Falls. We stopped in Malkerns to shop at Swazi Candles (Effie Heaven) and to look at more crafts. It was a long drive, and I thought the team would complain. But they actually liked seeing more of God's creation. We even had car trouble. The kumbi we rented was leaking transmission fluid. We finally made it to Mantega Falls. There were monkeys EVERYWHERE! That did more for me than the safari! TIA - This Is Africa! We got a guided tour to the falls and through the cultural village where we saw a traditional Swazi village and watched their traditional dance. The water is so clean that the guide said you can drink it. Caleb and Erin did.
Angela, Anna, Whitney, Edie, Caleb and Joshua could NOT leave without taking a swim in the falls. I just want to go on the record that I did not want them to do it. But they said they had to. It was freezing! The wind was blowing, and it had to be 50 degrees outside. You can only imagine the temperature of the water. I thought Caleb was going to chicken out. I knew it had to be cold! Angela used Doyle's quote: No reserve! No retreat! No regrets! How can you say no to that? Whitney was the first to jump in. Then they all jumped. It took their breath. They didn't stay in long. :-() We took lots of pictures. How many people can say they went swimming in Mantenga Falls during the Africa winter.
Now comes another difficult part of our trip. Our final debrief. We needed to talk about the trip as a whole. We ate dinner at Ramblas and came back to the white house. We asked the team to give a highlight or turning point during the trip, and how they were going to process this mission over the next few weeks. I don't want to go into many personal details, but it was a very good sharing time. Lots of tears. Lots of unanswered questions. Lots of processing even during this debrief. Lots of honesty, compassion and love. The one consistent theme we heard through the entire team was seeing Jesus in the people they met and being Jesus to those people. Looking into their eyes and seeing Jesus. And knowing that when those people looked back, they were seeing Jesus in our eyes. It sounds so simple, but it was so powerful! Doyle shared something that he wrote on the plane as we were flying to Africa. I think it's worth reading, and since this blog is so long I'll share it in a separate blog.
We want everyone to know that Doyle and I are available anytime to talk during these next few weeks as we process what we've been through. We can share our stories with family and friends, but the fact remains, our family and friends were not here with us to experience it firsthand and they will never know the depth of this adventure. Please do not hesitate to contact us, whether it's by telephone, or Facebook, or Skype. 770-207-6981 home. 770-601-3892 Doyle cell. 678-448-6386 Tonya cell. wallacephoto@windstream.net and itwministries@windstream.net
I read this a couple of days ago, and I thought I would share it. It seems so appropriate at this moment.
SMALL STRAWS IN A SOFT WIND by Marsha Burns:
At this point you have moved through your current transition feeling somewhat awkward at times and moving with grace at other times. It's been unsettling, but you've also been presented with opportunities for spiritual growth. Now, it would be of great benefit to you to stop, be quiet, and reflect on what has actually transpired so that you can gain a perspective devoid of emotional conflict and beyond natural assessment. What you have experienced, regardless of its level of difficulty, will actually work to your benefit, says the Lord.
Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.
Sunday, June 28
The team left for the airport around 10:00 am. This is not how I wanted our God adventure to end. I'm sick. I was up and down all night. Food poisoning? Parasite? Spiritual attack? I was able to come downstairs for a few minutes to see the team off. We took worship music outside and danced. I actually felt better while praising the Lord. Duh?! The team loves "Freedom" by Eddie James. And we danced and sang to "Hosanna! Forever! We worship You" which Edie played a couple of days ago during team time. I didn't want today to be sad. But it was. To be honest, I thought we would feel a sense of relief that the team is going home. Being responsible for 12 women plus our family has taken its toll. Doyle and I are physically, emotionally and spiritually drained. We both just want to cry and have for most of the day. But we would do it all over again. No reserves. No retreat. No regrets. Our time with these beautiful women of God is more precious to us than we could ever communicate in this blog. We have seen them struggle. We have seen them grow by leaps and bounds. And we have watched God miraculously work in and through them. They've been with Jesus and they've been Jesus these past few weeks. Whitney told me this morning: It's not the beginning or the end that counts, but all that's in between. It has been an honor and pleasure to be a part of this community. We didn't say goodbye. We simply said see you later. Whether it's in this lifetime or whether it's in Heaven, we'll see each other again. We love you all more than you'll ever know.
Our plan was to go to Nsoko after the team leaves. Pastor Gift asked Doyle to preach today at 4:00. We were unable to go. I'm hoping I feel better, and we can tomorrow. Jimmy Hutson is in Nsoko, and we really want to see him. We're praying for healing in my body in the name of Jesus. And I receive His healing. We'll go on Tuesday to check on Nesepo's foot. If it's not better, we're taking her back to the doctor. Marius and Jodi are taking us to the airport on Wednesday. I dread the flight back. 17 hours. Hopefully, we'll sleep. The kids will love catching up on some movie time.
We love Swaziland. And we know we'll be back. We see God at work here, and we want to join Him in what He's doing. We wondered if being here for a month really made a difference. We believe we have made a difference. There's the big picture that God sees and He gives glimpses every once in a while. Then, there's the little picture. One that is attainable at the moment. It just takes investment--investment into people's lives. Community. Communion with the Lord and with one another. We're now asking God what our next step is going to be.
Posted in A Trip Update by Autumn Good-Turney on 6/27/2009
My time in Swaziland is quickly coming to an end. I can't believe Monday I'll be back in the States trying to adjust to life as I knew it. Life as I knew it seems so distant to life as I've known it these last four weeks. I can not imagine my life back at home because I'm SO attached to these kids.
Yesterday was our last day at the Care Point. We threw a party for the kids. Kelsey and I baked 6 cakes yesterday morning and we bought custard to put on the cakes instead of icing. It's a Swazi treat. I was so pumped to give them their little treat. After their pop (they didn't have beans yesterday) they lined up anxiously awaiting the special treat. They were so so so grateful and excited. Their smiles were incredible. Even the little ones knew the excitement of lining up for cake. Doyle and them hooked up the speaker system with an Ipod and we had a dance party too! Oh my goodness... they were so adorable! They pretty much followed your lead and copied every dance move you did. It was very bittersweet. The David Crowder song, "Oh Praise Him" brought a lot of us to tears. Here we were in Africa, dancing with God's childrend, singing praises to God and knowing that we won't dance with them again until Heaven. It was bittersweet but a beautiful thing. I love those kids so much. I really can't imagine life without them. I've seen them pretty much everyday these last 3 weeks.
The kids have changed more than I can even fully process. I really don't what everyday at home looks like when these kids are here.
I held Neseepo for almost an hour. She was in such a silly mood! She kept saying "go, and kimchi" which means run. We'd run back and forth and I'd tickle her and hug her and love on her. Her laugh is so contagious. Actually most Swazi children laugh from the the depths of their souls and it's so refreshing to hear!
The bucket baby's sister was there today and she was very sad that we wouldn't be coming back. I told her that I would pray for her and show her picture to my family when I got back to America. Towards the end of the day, she asked me for food and told me she was hungry. I didn't have anything to give her. As we loaded the Kumbi I was telling my fellow teammates and asking if they had any food...and they did! So.. I got back out of the kumbi with a bag filled with some cookies, water, and a candy bar. I handed it to the girl and she immediately hugged me tight. Yes, it brought tears to my eyes! Aww. I prayed with her and then got back in the Kumbi. It still hasn't hit me that we won't be back. I'm trying to comprehend it, but it's so hard. It's still surreal to me.
I definately want to return to Swaziland!
Treasure the head of the Care Point was very grateful for our team. She thanked us for spoiling and taking care of "her children". Our team bought new rags, scrubbers, sponges and spoons for the Gogos. Treasure was very grateful for our gifts. Also, we had almost an entire cake left, and I told her she could have it. She was very excited and began singing ,"Praise the Lord." We also had 4 boxes of unopened custard which we gave her too. She was almost gitty. It was awesome~!!! And.. the Gogo loved the cake so much that she asked me for the recipe! This is the infamous recipe that I made 5 of for the Lady's Timabli retreat a few weeks ago. So.. in the entirety of this trip I've made 13 cakes ( i made one for our team last week). So.. with a double check of the ingredients with Kelsey I was able to recall the cake from memory and write it down for her. I thought about renaming it to Autumn's Yellow Cake recipe, but instead I named it Awesome yellow Cake. Our team has renamed it to Swazi Yellow Cake. I think Tonya is going to put the recipe on here at some point. i don't have enough time to type it out, otherwise I would.
~~ Lori and Alex.. Congrats on baby Lilly! I am so pumped for you guys!
~~ Rose and Ashley and anyone else.... start talking and planning a visit to KC..
Posted in A Trip Update by Lauren Erdman on 6/27/2009
its our last day here and were going to the falls (side note:: Burley bear "i gotta aowie"... mama i fell down....so i might have some facial changes when i get home....no stitches i promise. And my hair is braided....LONG so i might look like a hippie with a really really really really bad black eye) its hard to believe its over...
Ngabisa and her sister didn't show up for the last week, so i never even got a chance to say goodbye. if there is anything I've learned so far its to live in the moment and value the time you have with the people you love...because your never sure when you might or might no see them again.
Ayanda and Wandile have become my crew though and yeasterday was so hard saying goodbye to them....she taught me to dance (miracles do happen!) and we would run around like little girls (that's how i fell down...how stupid is that?) but she cried and wouldnt even look at me.....until the end when she and Wandile and about several-hundred kids chased after our kumbi. I dont think i'll fully process all this until i wake up in my own bed...and realize that the care point is no longer a 15-20 min walk down the road but a 16 hr flight plus a 5 hour car ride. I didnt think i'd become this attached to the people....its not fair.
Everyone and thier mom has asked me weather or not I'm ready to go home.
i'm not, i'm ready to bring "home" here....I'm not ready to leave them but to bring my life to them.
Posted in A Trip Update by Erin Wallace on 6/26/2009
It's me Erin! I LOVE being in Africa. It's so fun! Every Monday I get to to help our neighbor Christine down the road teaching at a school with 2ND GRADERS!!! At the house we have a cute little dog! And Christine has two CATS! We have parts of our team go to different places. Some go to the hospital, some go to Hope House, and some go to the care point. I love going to the care point! At the care point there is a little girl named Nosipho. My mom and I LOVE Nosipho! She is so cute! Every time we go there I spend the whole time with her... I don't know if I like EVERYTHING in swaziland or not. The reason I think this is I was offered a husband!! Not so exiting if his mom does it for him!
We get to go to the market on Thursday!!!! It's is so cool there! I can't wait to go. And the team is so, so well. You get the idea!
Sam: AWESOME!
Kelsey: AWESOME!
Sarah(not my sister.):AWESOME!
Edie: AWESOME!
Lauren: AWESOME!
Autumn: AWESOME!
Staci: AWESOME!
Meghann: AWESOME!
Angela: AWSOME!
Anna: AWESOME!
Whitney: AWESOME!
Teresa(leader.):AWESOME!
I can't believe we are coming back so soon! I LOVE swaziland but can't wait to be home! I'll be back in a week! See ya soon! I miss you Granny & Papaw and Mammaw & Papaw.
PS. LOVE YOU LULU!!!!! Can't wait to party all day and night!
Posted in A Trip Update by Lauren Erdman on 6/26/2009
Hey yo! Update #3!!! I guess I'm getting better at this lol. Figures, it takes three weeks to teach Loho how to blog right. Okay exciting stuff first!
---> I have two Siswati names
1)Mbali (mmm-bah-lee):: it means flower
2)Tibuyile (tee-boy-ee-lay):: it means to return or "I will return soon"
---> some of our danced a traditional Swazi dance with some girls from the local school (the gogo teaching it loved the dance moves we had) =)
---> Teresa and I got my hair braided this morning!!! (side note:: owie) mama you'll be thrilled ;)
---> I got a chance to play doctor on a little girls foot that had gotten super duper infected.
--> Christine shut the power off in our house just so we could see the stars outside
-->we watched Prince Caspian....on the ceiling
---> we colored amazing pictures and decorated powerful verses...and now they're on the walls of our home =)
---> we lined our staircase with mattresses....and rolled down it like a slide. (EPIC)
---> Every Sunday I've been excited to go to church....and to tithe....and to sing...and dance. (you might find that a small feat but what if I mentioned that the entire service runs anywhere from 3-4 hours long?)
Okay so after my breaking moment with Ngabisa and her family I guess you could say I thought about home a lot. But its gotten better. It's so easy to embrace the culture here...they are just so colorful and friendly. It really is amazing to see a nation ravaged by AID's and poverty, hold on to hope with everything they have. My heart breaks more and more for them everyday, they are drowning in suffering of every measure and yet they give with all they have and try to make sure their appearance is a happy, go-lucky, welcome to Swaziland. It blows my mind.
This being our last week has been really hard on some of the people we've grown with. Especially the kids at the Care Point, even though I got a few addresses there were tears shed and hearts broken. It breaks you...slowly...but it does. And you don't realize it until you remember your leaving in 4 days. And these kids who have nothing, made you their everything. As much as you might want to stay or take them with you...you can't. You can only take the memories, pictures and videos.
God has taught me so much. About value, love, respect, sacrifice, and true heartbreak.
I've been saying a prayer for everyone back home. I love and miss you all and can't wait to see your smiling faces (Katie, thank you for putting my return on your calendar. I feel pretty important. By the by I had a dream Luca died and came back to life. But I'll explain that when I get home)<---speaking of getting home....momma if you could get a hold of Tonya or Doyle and give them my flight info on how I'm getting from Atlanta to Midway or wherever that would be awesome...either by commenting on this or commenting on this. =)
I can't even begin to believe that we are leaving in a little less than a week. It all seems so surreal, that could very well be due to the fact that everyday seems to disappear in the blink of an eye. I hardly feel as if I've had enough time to process everything. Yet here I am, typing away. Regardless, this past month has been absolutely eye opening, heart-breaking and amazing. The children we have encountered are such prime examples of innocence in Christ, and loving on them has simply made me realize how important they are. At the care point, I've found myself attached to this one little girl, whose name I can't pronounce for the life of me. Its one of those names with clicks and clacks... Oh how I wish I was able to fluently speak SiSwati! This girl, has the most incredible story, and every time she sees me her face lights up with a smile from ear to ear. I'm bringing her bak to Bermuda mom and dad, just be ready - I wish! Anyways, she was recently given a prosthetic leg by the red cross, and all the little kids are simply confused by it. She keeps hitting her leg as hard as she can, to show them that its fake, and they just stand there, mouths gaping open. To see such courage like that in a girl of 4 years old, is mind boggling. She is so unafraid of life. Sometimes I wish I could take on a similar courage in my everyday life. Its funny to think that the children here are teaching us so much as we witness to them. There is so much more that I would love to share, but I will save it for next time. I'll end with this, if I never see a peanut butter and jelly sandwich again, I think I will survive. In all honesty, its not that bad, I'm loving every moment of every day, and now, I'm going to ride in the kuumbi in to the African sun.
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Phil 4:6-7
