Logoba

I have been going two mornings a week to our Logoba carepoint. I absolutely love the children! They are some of the sweetest children we work with!The other day as I was leaving I made my rounds saying goodbye to everyone!
"bye-bye" waved the cooks
"Bye-bye" shouted the children on the swings, joining the chorus
"Bye-bye" waved the children on the slide
Suddenly, the door to the long drop toilet flew open, and there sat Nosipho waving frantically at me. "Bye- bye auntie! bye-bye!"
too funny!

The Big day!!!

Hey remember when we moved offices? Here's some pics from the big day. As you can see some of us worked harder than others....only kidding.
I absolutely love the new office space. It's roomy, we have an education filing cabinet, lots of bathrooms, and doors that close to block out other office noise.
I'm officeally happy!

My words of wisdom:

Life is short...burn the candle

New Natalie, New Jacci, and the Returned Rogers women, susan, Kayla, and little Trinity.

Oh my!!!!

If you have quality health care in your country, thank God!
I've told you about the health care here in Swaziland. It's a bit scary.
But this story is just to funny not to share.
My friend Lauren is pregnant. A few weeks ago she arranged to have a scan done here in swaziland,- not at some random nasty hospital, but a nice, qualified, respectable clinic.
So there she sits, with the doctor doing the scan, and on the screen is her uterus, with a obvious mass, with a beating heart.
The doctor says to her, "This might be the baby here," pointing to the heart beating mass, "...but I can't confirm it."
My mouth was hanging open when she told me the story.
"What else does he think is living in your uterus? ...a Frog?"

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

I’ve gotten Christmas presents!!!!! I’ve gotten Starbucks coffee from Brandi, (as well as a musical Christmas card) and then I got a whole box of goodies from my nieces! They choose nail polishes, candles, as well as a bag of m&m’s! Yeah! I love Christmas, even if it is in February.
It’s funny, but the US post office always tells people it will take 2 weeks to get a package to Africa. And I guess technically it’s true. It will get to Africa in 2 weeks,- if they send it to Africa. Often they read “Swaziland” as “Switzerland” and mail it to Europe first. Then it comes to Africa.
Then it goes to South Africa first, and then in to Swaziland. And of course it has to go through customs. And rumor has it that the customs worker in Mbabane is just flat out lazy. So packages will sit there forever. You know I’ve gotten 3 packages in the same day, even though they were mailed weeks apart from one another. I have a hard time believing they all just show up on the same day!
So for 2008, start thinking of cards and boxes in October! Ha ha

Sibebe Rock

We hiked up Sibebe rock a few weekends ago. Sibebe is the second largest granite surface in the world. It was a great afternoon and the hike, while steep at points, was mostly rolling hills with wild flowers. Here are some pics of me and British Emma at the top, as well as all of us taking a rest.

Blog overload!

I'm well, adn full of ideas! I'm posting lots of blogs, so be sure to scroll down. A few pics are mixed in there, and lots of rambling as always!
love you all readers! I'm glad to be back!

I can't wait

My home church is sending a team in June. I’m soooo geeked!
Joey just sent me the final confirmed list: Joey, Molly, Sarah, Tenea, Marissa, …And Jennifer!!!!!!!!
Yea Jennifer! That was such an unexpected surprise!
She and I were roommates in NC.
We also went to Brazil together in 2006.
Now we get to be in Africa together in 2008! Yea Jennifer!

Good luck Mary!

One of my strongest teachers has left us.
I’m sad to see her go, but I am so happy for her.
She is getting the chance to continue her schooling.
I truly feel this is a blessing from God for her.
When she was given the chance to take Pastor Ron’s Bible class for credits, she jumped at it! She didn’t have the attitude, “Oh I’ll study hard when I have the chance to go to university…” But she jumped in with both feet and encouraged other teachers to take the opportunity to better themselves as well. She studied hard, and always had her assignments completed on time. She paid her fees faithfully.
And now God has given her the chance to continue to bigger and better.
She has been faithful with the little things, and now God is giving her the chance to be faithful with more.
Bless you Mary. I will miss you, but am so happy for you!

funny/ sad

Funny conversations I’ve had with Swazis”
“I want to go to America someday. I will have to learn to eat your food. I know Americans like to eat crab.”
“Oh yes.” I said. “You should go to New York City, and eat pizza and hot dogs.”
“Dogs?????!!!!!!”

“How long will this team of American women be here in Swaziland?”
“10 days.”
“10 days?! Oh Christy, that is too long! They will go home and find their husband has taken a 2nd wife!”

“Hey ladies, I was listening to a report on the radio about the country that has the highest education system in the world. Can you guess what country it’s in?”
“Swaziland?”
“nope.”
“The United States?”
“Nope. Guess again. I’ll give you a hint,-it’s in Europe.”
“…Mexico?”

“I don’t like teen agers, they’re too wild. But I love little kids. They are so cute, they are just like wheel barrels.”
“Wheel barrels?”
“Yes, you just put them there. And when you come back they are still sitting there waiting for you.”

Sad conversations I’ve had with Swazis:
“You know Christy, this HIV is a real problem. And the men… you might be married and your husband will go and get another wife in secret. Or maybe he has a girlfriend. You won’t know.
If your husband doesn’t come home one night, - you don’t ask. A good Swazi wife can never ask where he has been… I go every year to get tested. I want to know.”


“Yes, Christy, it’s true. If a man doesn’t come home, you can’t ask. If the man wants to come home to you and dish, then you just serve him some food.
“I don’t think I would want to ask. I’d be so angry I’d want to kill him. But if you fight him about another woman he will just say, ‘Ah, why are you being so impatient. This thing will pass. You must be patient.’…
“That’s just the way Swazi men are. If you tried to leave…eish! He won’t accept it. He will just beat you severely, or maybe kill you. He won’t accept a woman leaving… I think that maybe, when I get married, I will just want to have a son. And then, after I have my son, if [my husband] wants to leave, I won’t fight him, - I’ll just let him go. He won’t have to come back. And I can have my son.”

Survivor

Okay one of the women on this team has a husband who is a cancer survivor. He wrote a book about his experience and she brought several copies for us.
Of course I was interested in checking it out and have almost finished it .
So here are a few cool quotes from Pastor Greg Carter’s book Survivor.
“If we understand that we cannot live on yesterday’s food and water, why do we think we can live on yesterday’s spiritual revelations?”
That’s great. We eat 3 times a day. We constantly are drinking something. So why are we content to read the bible once a week, if that?
“The bible tells us we are not to be conformed to this world, shaped be outward circumstances and influences, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. (Romans 12:2) I understood the principle that the Holy Spirit speaks to our renewed born-again spirit, not our un-regenerated mind I desperately needed to quit listening to my thoughts and started listening to what the Spirit of God was telling me.”

interesting

“So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, you will be punished. You singled out from all the domestic and wild animals of the whole earth to be cursed. You will grovel in the dust as long as you live, crawling along on your belly…” Gen 3:14
…Okay that that part always confused me. If it was cursed to slither on its belly, that implies it didn’t before. So what was a “serpent” like before the fall?
Well I was reading an article about evolution in National Geographic and was intrigued when it stated, “…some snakes (notably boa constrictors) carry the rudiments of a pelvis and tiny legs buried inside their sleek profiles….” (November 2004, pg20.)
Cool huh?
So often people pit science and religion against one another. Sometimes scientific discoveries can support religious ideas.

Agh!!!!!!

I feel each week that I’m running in Jello.
Can nothing go easily?
Does everything have to be met with resistance?

Part 2
A team is here from America and did a special event for our teachers. Their leader Candy shared a brief bible study about lions. There are several references to lions in the bible but there was one story that stood out.
There was a story with David where a lion took hold of one of his lambs.
He struck it with a rod to make it let go of the lamb, but then the lion turned on him!
He grabbed the lion by its beard, and then beat it to death.
That’s exactly how I’ve been feeling. I have attacked a lion to rescue a lamb and now it’s turned on me. And for months now I’ve been beating it.
It will die sooner or later, if I just persevere.

What are you doing today?

Each day for the past 2 weeks I’ve woken up and asked, “What are you doing today Lord, and can I get in on it?” (A bit of helpful advice from a Beth Moore Study)
This change in attitude has revolutionized my schedule.
Last week I’d planned to go into Manzini to observe a classroom. I’d made it all the way to Ka Khoza when my car started making a strange squeaky noise. I headed back to Mbabane. The car was a simple problem that was quickly fixed by a mechanic and that left me with an open afternoon schedule.
“Come with me to Makholweni,- you can teach the cooks today. Teresa can’t do it and had asked Jacci to, but she’s sick.” Roger said.
So that’s what I did. And it was a great experience teaching and praying with the cooks and teachers there.
Then last week I returned to talk briefly with the teachers. When I arrived I found a child had been chased from his home by his step-father. All of this boy’s belongings sat in a plastic bag, for he was told never to return again. I accompanied the boy and a teacher to the police station after calling child welfare.
I had a definite check in my spirit. “What is this boy thinking about all of this?”
I turned to his teacher and told her, “You must explain this to him so he understands. We are not bringing him here because he is bad. He has done nothing wrong.”
He accepted the situation with no worries.
When we returned there was a young woman sitting at the carepoint.
“Zandile, who is that white woman?” I asked as we drove past (I thought I knew all of the white people in Swaziland.)
I found out she’s working with AIM and had come to help Teresa in clinic, not knowing it wasn’t held there on that day.
“Oh no. How am I going to get home? I had my group drop me.” Being in Swaziland only 3 weeks the poor dear wouldn’t even know how to catch a kombi. So she rode with me to my carepoint and then I carried her back to Ezulwini when we were done that afternoon. Through it all I got to be a help to 2 someones in need, and made a new friend.
On Friday, I was delayed from visiting my carepoint by waiting at the electric company, and then an unexpected conversation with a couple at Nando’s. Then today I found out there had been quite a conflict brewing at the carepoint.
“I wanted to let you know about it, but it’s a good thing that Roger and I were there together” Jacci said. “It was intense, and neither of us knew how to handle it. So I’m just thankful we were both there.”
It’s been great to see how God will change things up when I allow him to. When I’ve let go of my daily planner, and give him room to move, he does!

cool

I was cleaning my house the other day and pulled out a bottle of ammonia cleaner. I noticed a little crown on the bottom corner of the label. It says, “Jesus is King John 3:16”
Hmm… you would never see that in America.

a "full-circle" moment

You know we all go through things. It can make us better or bitter.
I choose better.
For those of you who have been with me for a long time remember I went through a very difficult time almost 10 years ago. I had to learn to forgive the hurts and offences I suffered.
It took me a long time to learn, heal, and move beyond.
But like Joyce Meyer says, your mess can become your message.
So this year at our teacher retreat I spoke about forgiveness. I shared what I'd learned, cleared up misconceptions, showed scripture about reconciliation and the dangers of reconciling without repentance, and forgiveness.
I felt confident that I'd said what the Lord had put on my hear to share.
On monday, I got this testimony from one of the teachers who attended: (This is a summary)


It was on in the afternoon when I received a call from the cup's office
informing and inviting me to a teachers retreat. Sure I was excited about
the outing, yet little did i know much more was in store for me. Christy
had a lesson to present about forgiveness.

Well, I wondered what was she going to say that I had not heard already
about "forgiveness" for I had had quite a few lectures on that same topic,
but have not benefited much, actually I have been left with more
questions.

Anyway, God is sovereign, omnipotent, he is Jehovah Shalom. This day was
the day of my healing. I won't say much about the problem, but after 5 years I
have got the solution, plus healing to my hurting soul. The lesson came at
the right time. I just want to believe the Lord had prepared it just for
me. Above all I immediately felt the healing taking place and am still on
the process of healing and understanding "Why" this happened.

I learned that I should forgive God [for not doing things my way] forgive
my enemy and forgivem myself too. I learned that i should pray for those who
have hurt me, even if that won't bring a change, but I still must pray and
love them, for if the spirit of harted is not uprooted and replaced by
love it is imparted to the next generation. I see it's happening in my family,
but now I am praying that is be uprooted.

Spiritually, that's how this year's Teacher retreat has benefitted me. I had thought "forgiveness" must be done and the results seen immediately. But my...its a long process which needs patience and love. Thanks to you Christy.

Lastly, may I thank God again for giving Christy the courage to teach on this subject. I know from experience its very hard to teach in without tears. May the Almighty Lord Bless you and help you to continue serving him faithfully.

by Thulisili Matsenjwa

How cool is it, when we as Christians, can go through the tough times, allow God to heal us and teach us through the experience, and then allow us to help others to learn.
Oprah would be proud.

I give up

In the states we have ginger ale. In Africa it's called ginger beer. It's not quite the same but close enough if you have a craving.
So last time I was in Mozambique I was with a team at a great seafood restaraunt. I ordered Ginger beer from the waiter.
"Gingah...?"
"Beer."
"Gingah...?"
"Beer."
"Ah don understand ju madam...Gingah...?"
"Beer!...Beer!" I now see the team of Americans is watching the missionary shout 'beer' at the waiter.
"Uh... no madam. The beer we have is..."
"No! I don't want beer. I want a cold drink... in a can... It's golden color. It tastes like ginger."
"Oh! Oh yes! We have that. Here we call it ginger ale."
sigh. Okay.
So I returned to Swaziland. the other day I went to Nando's a new restaraunt in town. I ordered a ginger beer.
"A what?!!!!!!!"
"Ginger beer or maybe ginger ale."
the man scrunched up his face at me. "What?! What are you saying? A ginger...?"
I wasn't about to go through this all again.
"That...that there!" I pointed in the cooler behind him. "I see it there. In the brown can. I see it. That's what I want...that there!"
He turned and looked behind him.
"Oh. Yes, madam...we call that a 'stoney'" (the manufactor)
Oh, for the love of Pete.
I give up.
From now on, I drink Coke.

Everyone thinks life here in Africa must be soooooo hard. Like I'm really roughing it. And while some things are tough, there are actually some things that Africa does better. So I'm counting my blessings:

1: cheap fruit and veggies. In Chapel Hill I would pay$1.99-$2.99 for one stinkin' avacado. (I know y'all are feeling the pinch this superbowl season)I bought one at the store the other day and paid $2.10R. About 40 cents, and I was told I over paid. Ha! I love it. Soon the Avos on my tree will be ripe and I will have as much as I can stomach for free. Same goes with bananas, popos, mangos, and lemons. And I can tell you, you haven't lived until you've eaten fresh pineapple or mangos.

2.milk in a box I know it sounds weird, but they pretty much do it everywhere but the US. They process the milk as normal and then put it in a special light-proof box. So it can sit on a shelf in your pantry for up to 6 months. Only catch is you have to drink it within 4 days once you open it. But, it's only one liter so that's no problem. This is great because it elimiates dreaded out-of-milk delima. You can by a case of 6 liters, put it in the pantry and when you are out...just grab a new one.

3. Dry lemon- the greatest drink ever, but somehow it is disappearing. Maybe Scwepps is no longer my friend

4. Child discipline Rarely do you hear a child throughing a tantrum in public. And when you do.... trust me, it's an American Child.

5.Bostick (see previous blog) it's way better than scotch tape. Only problem is you can't wrap presents with it...or can you?

6. Animals you have squirrels in your yard. I have monkeys. Need I say more?

7. Stone houses (at least in the summer months.) they don't burn down and they keep cool in the summer. Come winter I might change my mind.

8. Christy sized everything Everything here is very small. From furniture, to tea cups, to chickens, it's just smaller. Perfect in my eyes.

9. Cereal yes you can get the old stand-bye corn flakes or rice crispies. But African cereal is nicer. It's real food. You can read the ingrediants and know every one,- oats, nuts, seeds, honey, raisins, ect. No partially-hydrodinated, high fructose enriched sawdust stuff. That's true for lots of African foods,- they don't add much sugar and they laugh at us. "Oh I don't like the way XXXX bakes, she puts in so much sugar!"