Sawubona!

Forgive me if I have not spelled this right for those who know and for those that don't know it's pronounced "saw-bone-ah". It means greetings!
This is such an awesome experience! We are now in Mbabane, ("beh-bawn"), Swaziland. The Oasis church mission team worked hard at the Fonteyn CarePoint today, priming the walls and windows in a new addition, clearing bricks and fire wood, fixing the chicken wire in the garden area and flattening out ground around the new addition. We also found time to love on kids and played "duck, duck, goose" and the "Hokey Pokey" and thumb wrestled as well as tickling. This is one of the CarePoints the Oasis Church will be funding soon and the one I will probably be overseeing. We met the teachers and cooks and other hard working men, women and boys in the community. We then got to visit several homes. Oh, my! The hills and dirt roads and large rocks and long hikes to the homes. Some children walk miles to go to school! We met cooks who had taken in orphaned and vulnerable children in their homes as their own and provide a home for them in the simplest since. A stove or pit fire. A simple bed and maybe a table or floor mat. Hard ground floors, cinder block or even mud made shelters with tin roofs that are held down with rocks that often blow away in hard storms.
I met a small child today Zewell (spelling?) and his brother, Nudomzie (spelling?). Zewell looked maybe 18 months to 2 years old. I tried to connect with him with a small soft soccer ball and tickling. He finally gave me a high five with prompting from his brother but would not crack a smile or show any expression at all. He sat in my lap and I helped him toss the ball, clap in praise and hide the ball under his shirt. I saw no response at all. No smile, no emotion. I rocked, sang and held him for a few more moments and then he was ready to get down and go on. I pray God will break through and Zewell will experience joy and peace and hope in Jesus. I only got a glimpse of what it is like to be in survival mode and to be so hungry and hopeless to not be able to respond to life around you.
Keep the team and I in your prayers! Open our hearts! Those reading this from my work and wanting to pledge a one time or monthly donation, please do. I need to continue to raise support so I can come and stay Nov. 1st. (and now that I have seen the homes I will need to visit I definitely will need a hard core vehicle!!! Or a pack mule!!! LOL!!)
In Swaziland there is no high speed Internet only dial up and so the pictures will have to wait until I get home.
Be blessed and safe and full of love for others as you go through your week! Tomorrow we do crafts and have a health clinic day! Oh we do have to paint more too! It should be less physical and more fun tomorrow! Take care.