On Saturday, Patrick organized a youth service day for 5 of our carepoints. I went with my Moneni teens to a local homestead, where Grace Musa and her older sister, Kare Dlamini live. Both are widows and had lost children to HIV.
The women said they use to sell cans to earn a bit of money, but not the man who use to buy from them no longer is around. So their idea was to enlarge one of their small rooms and rent it out.




My teens got on it, and within 3 hours, the boys had knocked down the wall on the back side, extended the walls and added the roofing.

The girls helped to clean the other rooms, washed the dishes, and cooked a wonderful chicken and vegetable soup for the women.
I was so blessed to witness this. The women were tearful and continue to thank God for providing for them. They smiled, giggled, clapped, and cheered.
And when it was all said and done they prayed for us.
Ironic. We had come to bless them, and yet they were such a blessing to us.

My new gogo

This is a picture of me and Make Dlamini. You can’t see it but she was wearing a shirt from Michigan. Actually it says, “I did it with the drivers of the Michigan Speedway.” Not really sure what “it” was implying, but it was funny to see such an old gogo wearing it. I had a teen tell her in Siswati that I was from Michigan. She was so cute. She started calling herself Gogo Michigan.
We shot these pictures so we could take them to her later. I don’t think she’d ever seen a digital camera before. As I was sitting with her, I looked over at the boys building. I held up my camera and took a quick shot. When the image appeared on the screen, Make Dlamini started squealing and pointing. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
I took a quick picture of her to show her. She laughed and laughed! It was the cutest thing, Oh, what that little gogo must have been thinking!

Easter Quote

My first trip to Swaziland was for Easter in April 'o6. These were 2 cool quotes I read on the long flight over:

"Do not abandon yourselves to dispair. We are the Easter people, and hallelujah is our song!"
Pope John Paul II

"African Easter has a human face, because Africa knows what suffering is. Suffering unifies. Hardship, poverty, illness, unemployment,- all these evils are shared with fellow Christians, the ancestors, the suffering Christ..." Professor Du Tout.

Practice makes perfect!

...So today I practiced loving people. There is a little crippled beggar woman who I always pass in town. I've tried talking with her before but her english is as bad as my siswati. So many times I will just smile, wave, sometimes buy her KFC (the ultimate act of love) or a cold drink.
WEll today I went again to visit her, and sat and talked with her a while. She had a Zulu bible she was reading, as well as some picutres of herself from 1980. I told her in Siswati that Jesus loves her, and she just smiled her big toothless smile! We talked for a while, she in siswati, and I in english and neither knew what the other was saying, but it was nice, just sitting on the grass in the warm sun with Make Elizabeth Vilekate...
What a unique friendship, but I enjoy her.

Who ever you are...

Someone anonymously put $ into my Children Cup account.
With rising prices this side I need it.
I spent more on gas in the first 2 weeks of March than I did all of Feb, or Jan.
So who ever you are, Anonymous, thank you.
You have been such a blessing in time of need!
(I figure if you are giving $, you must read my blog!)

Protection

I'd been here 8 months and hadn't been called to fast.
Even when lots of others were, it just wasn't there.
that was strange for me, since I use to fast often. (maybe that's why I've put on a few kilos.)
So Monday I woke up and heard it.
Fast
Okay. Don't know why, but okay.
Ben met me at the door of the office later
"Ah...Christy there is kinda an issue in Manzini. I guess the Kumbi drivers are striking along with the textile workers. They are rioting. We might need to reconsider the teacher's meeting. But call Daren, he's in Manzini. Let's here what he thinks..."
"I'd stay out of downtown if I was you. And avoid the intersection at RFM. But I don't know how you'll get Zakhele and Ngwane Park carepoints then. Don't have the drivers use the kumbis. They seem to be attacking just kumbis." Darren advised me. But it's your call."
"Darran, if I was Teresea, (his wife)what would you advise her to do?"
"Oh, I've already told her not to come this way."
Enough said.
Meeting Canceled.
IT's not worth having lots of staff, missionaries, and teachers going here and there in Manzini, even in cars. The less we had in Manzini the better chances we had to keep every one safe and happy. While the problem was still in the center of town, I had no idea if it would shift or trouble would break out in other places.
I called a family who I knew had driven their kumbi into manzini, to give them a head up.
"We'll just come back the same way we came,- via the bypass. We had no trouble that way." Randy said
I headed down that way myself with a few others to attend a meeting in the outskirts of Manzini. We then took the bypass to a second carepoint, and back to Mbabane.
While we saw nothing more than a mob in the far distance, and lots and lots of stranded people waiting for rides that would never come, I had an awareness of an underlying spiritual icky-ness (is that a term?).
I was so grateful I was fasting.
The whole day went without incident.
Then yesterday I spoke with a friend, the kumbi family. But had had some scary moments in the mix of all of this. The family encountered an angry mob on the bypass on the way home, about the same time we were traveling to and fro.
I have no idea how we missed it.
No, I do know. And I'm thankful for all of our protection.

just because I can

Who else has a job description that includes going on African safari?.... No one?... well then I win!

Happy 400th Blog!

So I"ve published 400 posts in less than 3 years! who would have thought I have that much stuff to say.
Who would have thought so many people wanted to read what I had to say.
So any way, to celebrate, go to the side, click randomly in teh archives, and read some of the early stuff! It was good!
Here's to the next 400!

I take it back!

I've been complaining about the heat here, and now we had a cyclone off the coast of Mozambique, which just sent a ton of cold and rain our way.
Now I remember what winter was like here.
Maybe I should just keep the heat.
This morning I was so cold I ran a hot shower, but didn't want to take off my clothes to get in! The pj's- I was okay,- but the idea of taking off my socks and standing on the cold tile was too much! I honestly thought to myself, 'Can I just take a shower with my socks on?'
The thingy on my computer says it's 16 degrees Celcius. I don't know how much that is. But I know 32 is really hot. So I guess it's 1/2 of hot.
Our office staff is completely pitiful dousing ourselves in hot tea, and huddling next to space heaters.
whine whine

Very Grrrr!

okay, so I just haven't felt like blogging.
I'm grumpy. I'm frustrated. I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired!I still feel like I'm running through jello.
After 8 months!!!!!
Nothing is ever easy here!
nothing!
nothing!!!!
I should be able to get new tires without driving to an unknown city in a different country.
I should be able to go to the store and buy the product that I bought there last week.
I should be paying $8.50R for one stinkin liter of gas!
I should be able to eat at a restaurant without a nicely dressed, well groomed, someone asking me for money because I'm white.
I should be able to make a suggestion for a small change without teachers vommiting out an impulsive "No!"
Grrrrr!
Very Grrrrr!
But I"m so thankful for my Susan who is willing to come for tea, talk me off the ledge, and pry the return ticket out of my fingers. :0)
thanks girl!

Michael!

This is Micheal. He came recently as a one man team to share his testimony about how God has moved in his life. As a person living with HIV, he had so much encouragment to share with our cooks, teachers, and staff.
The effect he had on them was just amazing! He broke so many stereotypes/lies that people hold here. 1) he's white! and many people here beleive white don't get HIV, or that sex with a white person will cure HIV.
2) he's tall and strapping! Most of the time, being HIV+ is associated with being thin, gaunt, weak, and sickly.
3) HIV is always to be kept as a secret to avoid discrimination, or score. But he spoke openly and honestly with all of them, answering their questions, and even their disbelief.
Thanks Michael for the wonderful things you've done this side! God bless

cravings

You all know my friend Lauren is pregnant.
I think her hormones are having an effect on me. Whenever we hang out too long I start having crazy strange cravings.
First it was a baked potato with butter…and honey.
Then it was a banana.
A mashed up banana.
A mashed up banana smooshed on top of a strawberry pop tart.
I absolutely had to have them, and had to have them that way.
Each time I was so overwhelmingly satisfied when I ate them.
No. I should say, devoured them.
Cheeks puffed, lips pursed, eyes fluttering upward,…”Mmmmmmmm.”
And then I was fine. Craving gone.
Isn’t that weird?
Is there any scientific basis for this, or am I going mad?

Swazi lessons

I’ve been taking Siswati lessons. Today we learned how to ask names and respond:
What is your name?: Ngu bani ligama lakho?
My name is: Ligama lami ngu.
Wait…Ligama lami ngu… that sounds like a sorority or something.
Swazi girl #1: Oh…my…gah! Bheki, we should so pledge Theta Delta Phi this year.
Swazi girl #2: Sha!...What ever! I’m like, totally pledging Ligama Lami Ngu.

Monkey see, Monkey barf

I’ve been watching more episodes of House.
I’m a junkie too.
So last night I saw this episode where one guy got sick on a plane and then everyone started getting sick too.
Lots of vomiting on this episode. Ech.
So House diagnoses the first guy with the bends, and the rest with mass hysteria. He says, “Monkey see, monkey barf.”
‘Oh that’s stupid. That’s a lame episode. That would never happen.’ I thought.
And then I went and threw up my dinner.

Not for the Squeemish!

"Come this side Christy. I want to show you something." Make Sugati opened the door to show me 80 chickens....live chickens.
Well my moneni carepoint was not the only one to be blessed in such a way! Ka Khoza also received a donation of live chickens,So by the time we arrived to deliver the toilet paper, they had already started their chicken killing party.
I'm not lying.
Some of the older children had live chickens, some were draining blood, some were pulling feathers, and all were blissfully happy!
Tomorrow they would be eating chicken to their heart delight,- such a rare treat for these children.
I'm happy they were happy, but it was too much for me! Eish, I'm too American. I just buy my already dead chickens at the Spar.

House

Okay, you all know I’m not a big tv fan. I don’t even have satalite here. I just think must shows are crap. Well, many of the missionaries have series on DVD that their family send them, and I decided to give one a shot.
So I borrowed season 3 of House, a show my friends here and at home are always talking about
OH MY GOODNESS! I’m so hooked. In less than a week I’ve watched 15 episodes! Times that by 40 minutes, and that’s a lot of tv!
But because I’m in the 3rd season, there is so much I don’t understand.
Like how did House get shot?
Does he ever have a patient die? I mean, c’mon, no one is that good!
What kind of medical insurance to these patients have? Test, test, test. What HMO covers all of that? Mine would have cut me off long before Dr House discovered the tape worm, toothpick, or removed half of my brain
When did Cameron and Chase hook up, and why was she stupid enough to end it the first time? He’s the cutest one on the show! Big blue eyes, a nice accent. Are you daft, woman?!!!!!!!!
Do Wilson and Cuddy ever get together? He’s sweet, and she needs a baby-daddy.
And when will it be springtime on the show? All of this snow is making me homesick.
Isaac and Carol have season 2 in Mozambique…so if you guys are reading this, hurry back from Brazil, and watch it so you can give it back to Patrick. I need to borrow it.