Today Was the Day

Friday, January 30th 2009 (Don't know why it is saying January 27th)
All week God has been impressing upon me that relationships are more important than tasks. Not how I usually operate. The prayer I read in the Purpose Driven Life goes like this:
“God, whether I get anything else done today, I want to make sure that I spend time loving you and loving other people – because that’s what life is all about. I don’t want to waste this day.”
Simple enough but such a difficult shift in my mindset. But God is so good! This is how God help me deviate from just having a “to do” list.
Monday: Spent time shopping with an older student for school uniform. Tell you more about Tito on another blog.
Tuesday: Hung out at Mangwaneni CarePoint in the pouring rain and brought stuff for the older girls to make bead bracelets and took pictures of kids and showed them back to them.
Wednesday: Spent time with a headmaster (principal) and teacher at a school trying to get 2 students enrolled and ending up learning more about how the school system works, having empathy for overcrowded classrooms, understanding my students better and having a mutual respect for the headmaster.
Thursday: Spent time with a friend who is a new mother and who I haven’t gotten to see because I’m “too busy”. What a blessing!
Friday: Visited an employee whose daughter had major surgery for scoliosis and had to conquer her own fear of hospitals to be there for her child. Then bumped into an acquaintance whose husband has cancer and who be moving in a few months to Botswana to be with her daughter. (I will plan time for tea and a longer chat before she departs.)

This is the blog I intended to expound on as God has blessed me tremendously this week in relationships. Then it happened------- For those who have read my blog since I came to Swaziland might remember when I wondered what it was going to feel like when someone I knew died of AIDS. Today (Friday the 30th of January)was the day and my heart aches.

When HPC (Healing Place Church) Swaziland began, I started watching the 5 and under children during children’s church. That is when I met Celmusa (“click”-el-moo-sah). He was 4 but looked about 2. He and his mom spoke and understood very little English but came to church after members had prayed for Celmusa when he was sick. His mother said she liked to come because she could feel God’s love at our church. Celmusa was very attached to his mother and would scream if I tried take him to class. His mom would bring him back and gradually he was fine with staying and playing.
Celmusa had the cutest smile. He got to where he would give me high fives, dance with me during worship, play blocks with me in class and just smile every time I greeted him at church. I would ask “How’s my Musa today?” and he would just grin.
Last Sunday his mom said he wasn’t feeling well. He didn’t go to class but slept through service. His mom was worried. Jessie our nurse visited with her (with an interpreter). He was running a fever and had other symptoms and she was advised to take him to the doctor. Jessie assured mom she was taking good care of her son and it was the disease not her care that was the problem. Celmusa’s mom took him to the government hospital that afternoon. Celmusa was admitted, put on oxygen and died on Thursday. He died. I didn’t even realize he was in the hospital all week. (It is a dismal place.) This little life I love interacting with is no longer here because of this disease that is tearing at this whole nation!
It hurts! I don’t want Celmusa to be gone. I want to see his smile on Sunday and give him a high five! My heart breaks because 1 out of every 2 people I know here is probably HIV positive. I hate it! My flesh wants to yell “what’s the point!!!” But God is in control and He wants fellowship with each and every one of us. Why He let Celmusa die I don’t know. To relieve Celmusa’s pain? So his mom could hear and understand about heaven and hell so she may know Christ as her Savior? For a totally different reason? I don’t know. God was not caught by surprise but it has rocked my world. People I know are suffering, struggling to find food to eat most days, shivering in the rain and even dying; but this life is but a drop in the bucket. Where will they spend eternity? Where will they find true peace in the midst of such hopelessness? Our hope is in Christ but what am I doing to make sure they find it? It’s not in being only focused on office work --- it’s in spending TIME with individuals; sharing in their lives; showing them, not telling them, about my relationship with Christ. Thank you Celmusa for the wakeup call! I know God is enjoying your smile as you dance pain free tonight. I’ll miss you!!!
“So we don’t look at the troubles we can see right now, rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.” 2 Corinthians 4:18
Grief is not a luxury most Swazi’s will indulge in. Death occurs too frequently for that. But Celmusa’s mother is the most loving mother I have seen. She loved Celmusa with all her heart and I could always tell that he knew that. There is a newborn brother and other siblings to care for. We are having Swazi leaders in our church ministering to mom’s spiritual needs as the church also helps with the physical needs. Pray for Celmusa’s family. Thank you those that make it possible for me to be here. Even with the pain in my growing spiritually, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

Michael's Trip -- The Animals of Africa

What a fun time I had with Michael at Kruger! I even let him drive on the left hand side of the road (since he couldn't go faster than 50 km/hr [30 mph] - and could stop on the wrong side of the road to look at animals). Check out the hyena on the early morning drive and the great sunset. Thank you Lord for such a wonderful time with my son while we celebrated the birth of your son!

I planned to spend holiday updating my blog but instead I have been working at our closed offices remodeling, organizing and decluttering! I have barely had a chance to get on the internet, let alone blog, but I am taking the time tonight to stay at the office and finish updating Michael's great Christmas with me. The pictures make me smile. Shame he is busy at school and not having as much fun as we did a few weeks ago. Here are the rest of the highlights.

We went with the Brennans and visited Bulembu (Boo-lam-boo).

It is at the top of a mountain where it houses an orphanage and several group homes for children. Some of the children preformed for us. Below is Randy, Karen and Michael. Shelly, their daughter also joined us.

It also has a little hotel. Check out the toilet paper holders in the women's and men's bathroom. Bet you can tell which is which. :)
During Michael's stay we went on a couple of hikes. The first one was over a river and through the woods and up the rocks at Emafini. Michael jumped rocks, I took off my shoes and waded across the path. Mike, our new missionary on his way to Zimbabwe went with us and kept us laughing the whole way!

Our other hike was up the same one I did last year at this time and swore I would never do again --- EXECUTION ROCK!! I handled it much better this year although I still don't see how it is fun to hike that far!! We left our house at 6:30 am and started the hike at 8:00 am so it wasn't as hot as last year. The hike include (left to right) Mark, Shelley, Kay, Michael, Daran, Jackie, Nate and Patrick. Michael seemed surprised to find such young, pretty missionaries in the field. He thought they were all old like his mom! :)
Once again I made it all the way up and was thankful to be picked up by the faster ones on my way down! Ask Michael though, it was defininately tougher than he expected.

What is Africa without seeing the animals! I've uploaded enough for now so I will just have to keep you hanging until next week to show you our trip to the Kruger Game Reserve!

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year!
What an end to a great year! Michael, my son was here to join me for the holidays and it was such a blessing! The internet here is not an easy thing to connect with. I have to be at the office, which when Michael was here, I spent a lot of time away. Michael has been my strongest family supporter in my following my call to become a missionary. He vowed when I left, to not cut his hair until he saw me again. He kept his vow but the day after he arrived he was ready to lose his long golden locks. (Note he did not make that vow at the end of this visit.) Zinty helped us pose for the African haircut but then I cut the locks and Ben shaved the rest.

This set the tone for all to know that my son was going to be lots of fun. He did not disappoint. He was great with the kids at the Mbabane Christmas party.
When he first arrived he stayed close to me, saying “Mom I came to spend time with you!” A week into the trip, the young people at my church, HPC went to a water park in Badplaas, South Africa. He decided to join them rather than come to the office Christmas party. I asked him why the urge to now venture away from my side and he replied "because I thought there would only be old people missionaries. I didn't know there were people my age to hang out with." So much for bonding time (just getting we got to hang out a lot during his stay.) Michael said the park was "the same just different" than the ones in the US and smaller. He also found that the African sun is "the same just different" -- much stronger than the US. He put on sunscreen SPF 30 four times in the 6 hours they were there but not a shirt. He fried!!!! Needless to say, we spent the next 2 days totally inside. He didn’t even want to see the sun come through the window. I’ll share more of our adventures later.
I’m starting the New Year examining what my personal goals are. BALANCE seems to be the key word I have been hearing the last part of 2008. How do you balance everything? Family is so far away but I need to not neglect my relationship with them. Ministry is important but if I don’t take care of myself, physically, mentally and spiritually I won’t be able to minister. Sounds so easy and straightforward but putting it into practice will definitely be a challenge. Just because you have a daily quiet time doesn’t been you are balanced. I have some down time here in Jan. and plan to reread Joyce Meyer’s “Look Great Feel Great” which is a great book for practical applications on living a balanced, healthy life. I’ve also never done the “Purpose Driven Life” and think I will do that, since The Oasis Church is doing "40 days of Purpose" as there Jan. series. If anyone has the book and wants to go through the book with me, email me sandra@theoasischurch.org. Other great books I might reread is “Facing Your Giants” by Max Lucado and “The Shack” by William Young which is a great fiction book to emphasize the importance of our relationship with God as opposed to being religious. It is not a good read if you want God to fit in a box. It challenges all our preconceived ideas of God.
Thank all who read my blog (even if you aren’t on the “Tuned In” list) for all your support, whether financially and/or prayers and/or emails and/or visiting me here in Swaziland. I feel so blessed. It’s hard to believe I spent all of 2008 in Africa!! Surreal!!! I have grown so much! God is so good! He gives you what you need when you are obedient to His call. I would have never foreseen myself as a missionary, let alone in Africa, but now I can’t see me anywhere else!!!! Have a blessed 2009!!!!!! Follow where God leads you in 2009, even if it doesn’t make sense and I guarantee you will not regret it!!! He has your BEST interest at heart and all sacrifices are so worth it!!! Love and hugs and friendship.