As I sit down to write I am uncertain where to begin, or
what to describe. Our day was filled with some really awesome experiences, and
also some difficult things to witness.
On the drive to the CarePoint, quite a while after we left
the main road, we started seeing homesteads with children in the yard. One boy
was close enough to the road for us to see that he was wearing a blue and
yellow Capital Church T-shirt. We got excited and knew this was one of the
children at our CarePoint. My heart grew heavy when I realized how far he walks
everyday, as we were still a good 10-15 minute drive from our destination.
The children had not yet arrived when we pulled up, so we
all explored the property. Karen Mohr was overcome when she saw the new garden
area. She tells me that last year the plot was thick with scrub brush, sticker
bushes, weeds and rocks. Now there is a greenhouse ready for seedlings and a
tilled plot that will soon be ready for planting. We have heard that we will
have a tractor tomorrow to help finish preparing the land. This is excellent
news!
A small group of shy kids were the first to arrive. They
gathered under a tree and just watched us from a distance. In the blink of an
eye it seemed as though all the children arrived at once. Suzanne started
bringing out fun things for them to play with. The parachute was the first and
this was a big hit with the little ones. Then bubbles came out, and then
streamers and Frisbees and soccer balls. The older boys love to play Football
(soccer) and the older girls play Netball.
Just before lunch, all the children gathered together and
with their leader, Mbuso, sang a welcome song to us. There are no words for how
incredible the voices of 200 Swazi children sound! This was music of the heart.
It was beyond beautiful and moving.
The children received their love cards and T-shirts from
their special friends. We took pictures of them making hearts with our hands to
symbolize One Love, our Swaziland vision.
I witnessed a young boy of about 7 walk barefoot on a
severely swollen foot. Tara examined it closer and grew very concerned about a
cut on his foot. The two nurses on our team, Danielle R. and Clarice, set to
work on cleaning and bandaging the wound. I also saw them pulling deep thorns
out of his feet. They did what they could, but Neosporin does not do much for
the sort of injury he is suffering from. By the end of the day, he was no
longer able to walk on this foot. He was hobbling with a crutch and the help of
his sister. He wanted to join in the games and the dancing circle, but couldn’t
walk the 10 feet to the group. Allison, one of the full-time missionaries, and
I carried him in a chair to the dance circle so he could watch and participate
in the fun.
I enjoyed connecting with some of the kids. I met my special
friend today which was so great. I have been writing to her and receiving cards
from her for a year and a half. It was so great to hug her and tell her she is
beautiful. I also met an outgoing young man who was happy to talk about his
dreams and goals. He told me his favorite subjects in school are geography and
history. He wants to be an Archeologist and a Lawyer. He said, “I want to be
big someday. I want to come in the room and have people think I am important.”
As the day grew chilly and the sun began to sink, the
children began to leave. Almost as quickly as they came, they were gone.
Lori G.
