The Swaziland Experience

Hello from the US–

I’m back home again in Indiana. I fully intended to send one more update from Swaziland, but in the excitement of my final days there, I never got around to it. I returned to the US on June 12th, and I have stayed busy seeing many family and friends while staying with my parents in Indiana. I will return to the Milwaukee area within the next few days, and I’ll start back to work on July 7th.

Thanks to the many of you who have faithfully read my emails and prayed. Thank you so much. I don’t know how to say thank you. I don’t want to think about what this time could have looked like without your prayers, letters, phone calls, and support.

I have started this email several times and thought a lot about what to say. This final email is hard for me. I have so many feelings and emotions that I just can’t put into words. I would like to summarize my time in Swaziland succinctly, but I am struggling to do this. I just can’t wrap up the past eight months in a few well-written sentences. So, as always, just read on for some thoughts and stories.

Blessings,
Tim

+++++++++++ For the curious: +++++++++++

1. Online Pictures and Videos
2. Why Did I Want to Go?
3. I Learned to Read
4. Great Friends in Milwaukee
5. Missing Some People
6. Several Updates
7. God’s Glory
8. Do You Want to Read More Updates from Africa?
9. Courageous Leadership Award
10. One Last Thank You
11. Prayer Requests

—————————————-

1. Online Pictures and Videos
I have uploaded two photo albums to the Internet:
   Compilation of Swaziland pictures -
      http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=22227&id=591774512&l=9361f&ref=share
   Progression of Johane’s leg healing -
      http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=22226&id=591774512&l=4ded7&ref=share
Here are a few newly uploaded YouTube videos:
   Lavumisa Church -
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bvksb2EVXuU
   Arnau Washing Feet of a Home-Based Care Leader at Training Celebration -
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbGN_b-0QAw
   A Typical Swazi Homestead -
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXLJAyNpQPQ
   Swazi Children Showing Off -
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2PDwagsP4U
   Swazi Preschool Children -
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hDSzXJVs9mE

2. Why Did I Want to Go?
Why did I want to go to Africa? In May 2007 when I began to look for international opportunities, I wrote a one-page statement of my hopes for what this time would be. I am amazed how well my time in Swaziland fit my hopes and expectations. I encourage you to read what I wrote in May 2007. You can read it at: http://swazilandexperience.wordpress.com/2007/05/26/why-i-want-to-go/

3. I Learned to Read
One of my most difficult adjustments when I moved to Swaziland was the slower pace and the reduced number of social settings. As a result, I filled some time while learning to read books. I ended up reading 18 books in my time there. This might not seem like much to most people, but it’s a lot for me.

4. Great Friends in Milwaukee
I’ve often said that you know good friends because they’ll help you move to a new home. I have some great friends in Milwaukee. They didn’t just help me move, they actually moved all my things into my new home for me while I was still in Swaziland. Thanks, friends.

5. Missing Some People
Sometimes I miss people from Swaziland. I woke up yesterday and missed Gogo so badly. I called her, which was comforting, but it reminded me how much I miss her. When I went to Africa, I wanted to go for at least a few months in order to develop relationships, and I was blessed to develop such wonderful relationships. Well, part of the deal is missing people now. It’s hard.

6. Several Updates
   Lwazi - I continued to meet semi-regularly with Lwazi up until my last week in Swaziland. Lwazi’s a good guy, and I think that he’s in a really good position to make great decisions in life.
   Johane’s leg - Johane’s leg was so, so close to being fully healed when I left (see photo album linked above). More importantly, we developed such a close friendship during my visits. Although I was hoping to see his leg fully healed before leaving, I left behind enough bandages to finish off that wound. I sure hope to return sometime to see that leg fully healed.
   Fansile - Fansile looked so good when I saw her for my last time at the end of May. I remember praying and praying for her and dreaming about her skin clearing, and I was fortunate to be able to see it.
   Thobile - I will miss Thobile. I greatly enjoyed seeing her and checking up on her. She was a good friend to me. I was blessed to be part of her life while she was making some important decisions, and by choosing to go on ARV’s she’ll almost certain extend her life for several years. Thobile has a cell phone, and I will really try to keep in touch with her.

7. God’s Glory
In several lives, especially of Johane, Fansile, and Thobile, I was able to see God’s glory revealed through physical healing. This has been such a joy and excitement to me. I was able to pray with these people many times, and I was part of their lives as God did amazing things. God’s glory was revealed to me too, and hopefully to the people reading these updates.

8. Do You Want to Read More Updates from Africa?
Later this year, my friend Lori will be moving to Sudan for two years with SIM. She will be mentoring teachers and working with the only primary school in a huge region. Her conditions will be much more primitive than mine. If you’ve enjoyed reading my updates and would like to read more updates from Africa, then contact me to get on her email list.

9. Courageous Leadership Award
Last year, the ministry in Swaziland received honorable mention for the Courageous Leadership Award from Willow Creek Association with World Vision. Recently Arnau was informed that the Swaziland ministry is in the final three contestants for this year’s competition. This is pretty exciting. I’ll likely be able to see him in August, as he’ll be in Chicago for the awards presentation. If you’re interested, read Arnau’s thoughts at: http://missionissues.wordpress.com/2008/06/20/2008-courageous-leadership-award/

10. One Last Thank You
For those of you who have routinely read this far in my emails, I want to thank you. Thanks especially for the prayers.

11. Prayer Requests
- Praise for everything that came together so beautifully for my time in Swaziland
- Praise for Courageous Leadership Award
- Praise for my good health and good health for family members while I was gone
- Prayer for readjustment, returning to work, and relationships during my first months back in the US
- Continued prayer for Lwazi, Thobile, Fansile, Johane, and Lavumisa Church
- That I could understand how to keep Swaziland in my heart and remain active in the ministry
- That I could understand how to apply the lessons I have learned in Swaziland to the rest of my life
- Praise that God allowed me to work with Arnau, who was a great teacher and has become a great friend

Sanibonani,

Hello from Swaziland. I have had an exciting four weeks since my last update. My time included one final tourist trip of my time in Africa, a 10-day trip to Mozambique to learn how to scuba dive.

I now have less than one month left in Swaziland. I plan to spend as much of my remaining time as possible with my favorite people here. I am not looking forward to good-byes, but that’s part of the deal. I am looking forward to being home and watching the Cubs on TV with my family.

Please read on for experiences from Mozambique, some updates, and a couple new projects.

1. Cubicle Land
Sometimes I think about my upcoming return to the sea of cubicles where I’ll soon spend so much time. I know that I’ll run into people when I get back to work, and they’ll say in a passing manner to me, “Hey, how was Africa?” Can you imagine? What will I say?!? That would be like asking a new mother of a 5-day-old baby, “So, how was your last week?” For me, it has been like nothing I could have ever imagined, and nothing I could ever fully describe. It has been in certain ways the best time of my life, the worst time of my life, the most exciting time of my life, the most boring time of my life, the most encouraging time of my life, the most discouraging time of my life, the happiest time of my life, and the saddest time of my life. I’ve learned more than ever before, but I couldn’t answer many exam questions from it. There has been both good and bad, but no scale can measure how the good of my time in Africa outweighs the bad. This time has been such a blessing.

2. Diving With Manta Rays, Swimming With Sharks
I returned from a 10-day tourist trip to Mozambique last week. When I found out that some of the best scuba diving in the world is only eight hours away, I decided that I would like to learn how to scuba dive. So, I traveled to Tofo, Mozambique for a 4-day PADI Open Water certification course. This included about one day of classroom training, a day and a half of pool training, and a day and a half of diving in the Indian Ocean to learn how to dive up to 18 meters.
I decided to take a little more training for an additional deep-water dive (about 27 meters) to see Manta Reef, regarded as the best dive in Tofo. This was an amazing experience. It was just like on the National Geographic channel, except I was scuba diving in the ocean rather than sitting on a couch. There were so many amazing sights: beautiful fish, great plant life, amazing colors, big fish, schools of fish, and great reef formations. The highlight was swimming above, below, and beside huge manta rays. This dive sight includes a manta ray cleaning station, where the rays come to have small fish clean them. The manta rays are huge — about 4 to 6 meters in wingspan. I was overwhelmed by the beauty of this dive.
Another exciting moment was snorkeling with whalesharks. Whalesharks are actually huge sharks that eat only small organisms, so swimming with them is perfectly safe and quite fun.
It wasn’t all glitter and gold though. I had unhappy moments on two consecutive days with sea sickness, which seemed to be pretty common for visitors to Tofo. On the remaining days, I found out that Dramamine really does work. This made me very happy.
I took the trip alone, but I met some really great people staying in backpackers hostels. I enjoyed my time with tourists from all over the world, and these situations always provide new perspectives and a healthy understanding of how big this world really is.
Three links:
Manta rays: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manta_ray
Whalesharks: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whale_shark
Giant Moray Eel: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_moray

3. Johane’s Leg
Johane’s leg continues to heal. We switched the brand of bandages in late March, and it has been healing more effectively since then. I am pretty excited about this. When I finally have to say good-bye to Johane next month, I want to leave him behind with a healed leg. Time is running out, but the wound continues to make progress. God is making quite an impression on Johane. It’s not every day that a 15-year-old wound heals.
I know that an unbelievable amount of prayer has been raised for Johane. He and I thank you. I love to tell him that people in the United States are praying for his leg to heal. It makes him so happy.
I don’t know where Johane’s heart was concerning Jesus before I started visiting him. I will tell you this: Jesus is sure breaking through to his heart now. I love it.

4. Lavumisa Church
In my very early updates, I asked for prayer for a potential church plant in Lavumisa. We began meeting in late February in a round hut on the homestead of a Member of Parliament in the Lavumisa area. We are trying some new approaches for this church plant. Instead of pitching a tent and asking everyone to come (which has shown poor long-term results in Swaziland), we are beginning with a small group that meets in a home. We are exploring more of a discussion-based format for church. We are using many of the ideas from David Watson, who is involved with church plants all over the world. In particular, we are interested in the group inductive Bible study techniques from this page: http://www.cpmtr.org/?q=node/25
I was away for most weekends in March with visitors. Since then, I have been working closely with the Lavumisa church, and it has been exciting. We’ve regularly had about 10 women, 7 men, and 50 children attending. This might not sound like many men, but for Swazi church standards, it’s very good. In fact, I’m most excited about the fact that many of these men were not attending church before our group. One man stood up and explained that he’s quit drinking since he started coming. Another said that he wants to change his life but doesn’t know how. I talked with him for a while, and we prayed for him. The men are actually excited about church.
Working with this group has been great. They have been open and even excited about trying new methods for church. I’ve actually been surprised at how welcoming they have been to me and to trying new things.
This church has quickly grown very close to my heart. I will never forget being packed into an African hut as the only white man with 70 Swazis. Standing with them and singing Swazi praise songs has been a blessing beyond which I could ever describe. They love that I know many of the songs and am working to learn more. All I can say is that it has been pretty special.
On April 20th, we read from Luke 14:7-14. In one of the verses, Jesus talks about throwing a banquet and inviting the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. We talked about a desire to reach out to those who have been rejected. We want those people in our church. When I looked around the room, I saw a crippled man, a blind woman, and many people who are poor and extremely hungry.
Clearly, a succession plan is needed, as I will be leaving soon. Please pray that they will be able to continue on and grow without me. In fact, one of the steps in David Watson’s church planting plan is that the church planter should leave. It might be a little bit rushed with my departure in June, but it seems that God has done everything to prepare this group to thrive.

5. Nkhulunkhulu Mukhulu Kakhulu
In siSwati, the word for God is Nkhulunkhulu. This literally means “great, great” or “big, big.” If you want to say that God is a big God or a great God, then this is written: “Nkhulunkhulu mukhulu.” Or, you can say, “God is very great.” This would be written: “Nkhulunkhulu mukhulu kakhulu”
Go ahead, try to pronounce it. It’s fun to say. Some tips:
siSwati “kh” sounds like an English “k”
siSwati “k” without the “h” sounds similar to an English “g” as in “gum”
siSwati “u” sounds like an English “oo” as in “moon”

6. Four Frustrating Situations
A - Usually, I type my updates on Eduard’s computer. He is a 21-year-old Afrikaans South African who works on the farm. I brought a computer virus home from town and messed up his computer. He didn’t lose anything important, and we’ll reinstall next week. Nevertheless, I feel badly about it.
B - I left my ATM card in the ATM machine in Maputo. I called my mom, who did amazing work to cancel the card. This will turn out okay since my time here is running out, but was a bit frustrating nevertheless.
C - Taiwan asked me to cut her hair with my trimming set that I bought in town (I shave only once or twice a month, so I trim first and then shave). I never should have agreed, but it looked pretty simple when Jackie Timm gave me a buzz cut before I came to Swaziland. Taiwan wanted it short, but not too short. Well, the length-controlling adapter (what is that thing called?) fell off between swipes, so I accidentally cut right down to the skin. I felt terrible. Nontobeko took over and finished the haircut, but Taiwan ended up almost bald. Okay, this isn’t uncommon for females here, but it wasn’t exactly what she bargained for.
D - I saved the worst for last. On Sunday driving back from the Lavumisa church, I severely overheated the McCubbins’ SUV. There is extensive engine damage. The McCubbins have shown incredible grace in the situation, but it is still weighing on me quite a bit. This also means that I probably won’t have a vehicle to travel to Lavumisa for my remaining time here. We’ll see how this all works out.

7. Pasture Valley Project
The McCubbins are interested in helping several Swazi families in the very worst of the worst conditions. They asked me to assist in the process to identify several families with the greatest needs. I was part of a group that visited about 15 homesteads that are in great need in order to find the ones with the greatest needs. This is a tricky task — it’s difficult to walk away from a family where the children are hungry, severely malnourished double orphans and say that they are not in bad enough shape to qualify because they have a grandma who can walk and an aunt who lives with them.

8. Bonginkhosi
When visiting the homesteads for the Pasture Valley Project, there was one boy named Bonginkhosi who really stood out to me. I liked him so much. I could feel his ribs and big belly through his shirt, signs of severe hunger. I held him for a while and really just wanted to take him home.
Two weeks later, Michelle visited this same homestead. And, with the proper permission she actually did take him home. He is now the 12th Pasture Valley Children’s Home child. The idea is for him to stay here temporarily while he gains nourishment. He is four years old and about the same size as Piwayukuhle (last time I said his name was Piwayinkosi, but the child services group initially told us the wrong name), who is a malnourished one and a half year old. I helped give Bonginkhosi a bath this week, and it really tore my heart to see his body.

9. Prayer Requests

• Piwayukuhle and Bonginkhosi as they recover from malnourishment
• The Lavumisa church and for leaders to continue to emerge, especially since I am again without transportation
• Upcoming good-byes, and upcoming readjustment to the USA and corporate America
• The families that Michelle is helping with the Pasture Valley Project
• Johane’s leg
• Fansile, Thobile, and Lwazi
• For the four frustrating situations, particularly the SUV repairs
• Praise for a safe and fun trip to Mozambique
• Praise for continued and sustained joy during my time in Africa

Sanibonani–

I hope that this email finds you well.

I have slightly less than two more months in Africa. I find myself embracing my remaining time so dearly. I love my life here, and I love so many people here. Swaziland has been very, very good to me.

Life has been eventful for me. In fact, I already have a good portion of my next update written, so you’ll see it soon.

This update covers many areas: tragedy, healings, and random thoughts. Please read on.

I send all my love from Swaziland.
–Tim
+++++++++++ For the curious: +++++++++++

1. A Swazi Death
2. A Swazi Funeral
3. Relationships
4. Fansile Update
5. World Vision Award
6. I Wish I Were an Artist
7. Upcoming Good-Byes
8. Addition to Pasture Valley
9. Prayer Requests

—————————————-
1. A Swazi Death
I have written quite a few times about John. John and I often visit homesteads together. He is an extremely poor Swazi, but he is dedicated to community service.
   On March 31st, I got a call from one of John’s good friends who I also know quite well, Nonhlanhla. She told me that John’s daughter, Khutiwe, had died earlier in the day. She said that Khutiwe was only sick for a short time but suddenly passed away. Later in the evening, I talked with John. He asked me to come the next morning to pray for him and his wife. This was not an easy prayer, but I was appreciative that he asked me to come.
   This death was particularly difficult for me for two reasons. First, she was three days from reaching the age of 26, which is my age. This makes death at a young age a lot more personal. Second, I had never met Khutiwe, but I had one memory of her. About two weeks before her death, I was at John’s homestead and saw her lying very sick on a rug. I asked John and his wife what the problem was, and they replied that she was sick to her stomach. I should have given it more thought, but I didn’t. As I think back to the day of seeing Khutiwe sick, I sure wish that I had at least asked a few more questions or offered to help in some way.
   I don’t know for sure what Khutiwe died of. This is one frustrating aspect of Swazi life. When someone dies, there is seldom a definite reason given. (Arnau once showed me his friend’s death certificate that said he had died of swollen feet.) Of course, I assume that Khutiwe’s death is AIDS-related, but I don’t know for sure. John told me that he was very confused by the death and that it looked like she had been poisoned. I have mentioned before how often people blame AIDS-related deaths on a poison. I was especially surprised that John did the same thing, as he has received a large amount of HIV/AIDS training.
   Please read on for the funeral…
2. A Swazi Funeral
Swazi funerals begin late in the evening and last through the night until the next morning. Typically, the funeral and burial take place on the family’s homestead. They hold a night vigil and sing all night long. During this time they dig the hole, view the body, and eat a meal or two. They don’t sleep.
   I did not come the night before but instead showed up at the funeral around 6:15 in the morning. John had asked me to speak for a short time at the funeral, and immediately I was brought to the front to talk in front of the 150 people in attendance. Knowing how to act and what to say at a funeral in your own culture is hard enough, but I was the only non-Swazi at this funeral. I spoke gently (through an interpreter) from Romans 8 that nothing can remove us from the love of Jesus. I was immediately followed by a pastor who delivered perhaps the most hellfire and brimstone sermon that I’ve seen yet in Swaziland, speaking from Revelations 12:12. The contrast between my talk and the following talk was oddly dramatic. The Swazis, and especially the Zion church, seem to love hellfire and brimstone, which I imagined that they learned from television and radio evangelists. I hope that I didn’t let them down too much. I didn’t even yell when I talked.
   Around 7:00 in the morning, they lowered the casket into the grave and then filled the hole. People searched for nearby rocks with which to cover the grave. A meal was served, and then the people went home.
   I felt honored to be asked to attend and speak at the funeral. I guess the only awkward part was at the end of the funeral when a drunk 58-year-old woman who I had never met before started telling me very loudly that she loves me and wants to marry me.
3. Relationships
I remember when I came, and I knew that so much of what I would be doing — should be doing — here is building relationships with the Swazis. I was intimidated. I thought to myself, I don’t know how to build relationships with Swazis. All of a sudden, five months have passed, and I have all these people who mean so much to me. Gogo and the orphans on the farm certainly take the prize in this category. It won’t be easy to say goodbye to Thobile, either, if for no other reason than she’s a good friend. But, I also know that she’ll very likely leave her daughter (now 16 months old) behind as an orphan within five years and I won’t be here to help … or at the very least to live through the death with her. Or, there’s John, my good friend with whom I visit homesteads and whose daughter’s funeral I attended. Other than Gogo and the orphans, maybe Johane is most special to me — showing up at his house every week or so to look after his wound has been such a blessing. I realized the other day that even if his wound doesn’t heal, that we would still both be so happy that we tried, as it gave us such wonderful times together. I feel like I’m on my way to visit my Swazi grandpa when I take that kombi ride on the rough dirt roads to see Johane. Then there’s Lwazi, who told me that he missed me while I was away most of March with visitors. When we met recently, he kept asking about when I’m leaving, and he looked so sad. The Lavumisa church has quickly become incredibly special to me, and I was quite impacted when they called me pastor recently even though they know full well that I’m an electrical engineer. There are others: Fansile of course, Dumisani and his coworkers at the petrol station, Cebile and Theminkhosi from Richfield Butchery, several of the Bengalis who run stores in town, Nellie at the Internet cafe, the orphans who eat at church, Shorty Khumalo, many of the home-based care workers, and several of the high school boys: Lihle, Comfort, and Diamond. When I walk around town, people constantly yet at me, “Sipho!” or “Khumalo!” or an occasional “Tim!” It feels like Cheers, where everybody knows my name. I can’t believe all this in five months.
4. Fansile Update
On April 16th, I went with John to see Fansile (recall from updates 5-7) for the first time since late January. When she saw us walk onto the homestead, she was very happy. I was excited about this, knowing that it meant good news.
   She immediately went to get her charts, showing us that she has taken her ARV’s perfectly since January. She seemed so much healthier than the last time that I saw her. Her skin is much, much better (although not perfect). She is walking well. She has regained her appetite, and her medical charts show that she has started to regain weight. She is up to 35 kg (77 lbs) from her low of 30 kg (66 lbs). But the most special thing was to see her smile! She was so happy, and her family was so appreciative.
   I love how God has revealed his glory to Fansile’s family through this situation. I try not to think about what Fansile’s life would look like right now if she hadn’t started ARV’s. She was in extremely bad condition, but now she has improved wonderfully. She and her family attribute it all to God.
5. World Vision Award
This year, Arnau is again applying for the World Vision Courageous Leadership Award. You might remember from update #3 that the ministry received honorable mention last year, and this year we are hoping to finish in the top three. This would be a special honor and would provide a significant financial award for the ministry.
6. I Wish I Were an Artist
I’m not an artist. My sister got those genes.
   The other night, I laid awake in bed for hours. I was thinking about how I never want to forget so many of the mental pictures in my head. I have taken many photographs, but I do not have photos of the people who I have visited who have been near death with AIDS (and many have since passed away). I never want to forget the visual pictures in my mind for each of these visits — where I sat in the room, where the bed was, the sick person’s face, what we talked about, who was with me, what the homestead looked like, how I touched the person when I prayed for him/her, or anything else. I don’t want to forget anything. I’m bothered when I forget any of these details from the homesteads of the extremely sick people who I’ve visited. If I were an artist, I would draw a picture of the flashbulb memories in my mind, and then I know that I would never forget. I wish I were an artist.
7. Upcoming Good-Byes
I know they’re coming, but I’m trying not to think about them quite yet. So, I’ll try not to write about them, either.
8. Addition to Pasture Valley
The police came about a week ago with news of a 16-month-old boy who had been abandoned. The police asked the McCubbins if they would accept the boy in the orphanage. Wisely, the McCubbins said that they would leave the decision primarily in Gogo’s hands. Gogo has such an amazing heart. I was blessed to sit and listen to her as she thought through the decision whether to take in an eleventh child. In the end, she explained to the McCubbins something like this: “God has a crown waiting for each of us in heaven. I think that if we turn this boy away, God is going to take off our crowns.” I love Gogo.
   His name is Phiwayinkhosi, which means sent from God. They don’t know his surname (in fact, the police might have just given him the name Phiwayinkhosi). I’m pushing for the surname of Khumalo, like my Swazi name. He came severely malnourished, with the starvation potbelly that I had never before seen in person or touched (it’s very hard). A couple of the other children were a bit skeptical before he arrived, but not any more! He is poured over with love and attention. It’s such a beautiful sight.
9. Prayer Requests
- Application for the Courageous Leadership Award
- For Arnau in his annual trip to work with a ministry in Russia
- Praise: Johane’s leg is continuing to heal well (more in next update) … please keep praying!
- Praise: Lavumisa church is going well (more in next update) … please keep praying!
- Praise: Fansile’s health improving … please keep praying!
- Praise: Thobile found out her baby is HIV-
- That God would prepare me and the people here for good-byes
- That God would prepare me for my return to my other life
- That Phiwayinkhosi will come to full health quickly and grow into a man of Jesus

Sanibonani,

I have now surpassed the halfway point of my time in Swaziland. I continue to do well, and I continue to learn daily. I look forward to my return to the States, but I also treasure my remaining time in Swaziland.

Things have been going well. I have made a new friend named Johane who you can read about below.

I have some new pictures and videos online. I have several pictures from homesteads.
Pictures (if this link doesn’t work at first, please try again later):
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=13692&l=7cde6&id=591774512

YouTube Videos:
A woman taken care of by home-based care (see video details below) -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7syKJ0nW2Bc
Singing in church -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4AWyQsqS3Y
Nhlangano markets and bus rank (Eduard the farmhand selling milk) -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYiMqLfkKQY
Driving around town (bad quality, but gives a feel for Nhlangano) -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwnjsODetuY

1. Video Details
The first video linked above at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7syKJ0nW2Bc was recorded during the visit from Saddleback Church in December. In the video, we are visiting an elderly woman who suffers from AIDS, diabetes, ulcers, loss of hearing, poor sight, headaches, and pain throughout her body. This woman happens to speak very clear English. A lady from Saddleback is asking questions about how the home-based care members have helped her. I have typed out her responses:

“She came here and wash it for me, this lady, and bathes me, this lady, and gives me some tablets. If she finds my dirty clothes, she washes them. … And she gave me some tablets [pain killers] if she do have. … I ought to go to the clinic today but I was moneyless. I ought to go to the clinic. My tablets [ARV's] are now finished. … I’m using the ARV’s, and I’m a sugar diabetic. I inject myself. And I’ve got some ulcers. Oh, they’re troubling me. … As my head is too painful, I don’t hear very loud.”

This video segment demonstrates several things. First, it shows the incredible servant’s heart of Nonhlanhla, who takes care of the woman by cleaning her home, washing her body, giving pain medication if available, offering encouragement, and serving in any other way that she can. Second, it demonstrates the extreme sickness that many people in Swaziland are facing. The AIDS epidemic often attacks a younger generation (20’s and 30’s), but this elderly lady is suffering from AIDS as well as several other conditions. Third, it shows that even when people successfully start ARV’s that the small amount of money for transportation prevents them from continually obtaining their refills (ARV’s are free in Swaziland). Her transportation costs are about $1.50 US round-trip, but this is often too much for a family that is starving.

2. I Love the Word
I’ve been reading Luke with Lwazi and Lihle. Sharing the Gospel makes me fall in love with the life of Christ all over again. I love the parables. I love the healings. I love that Jesus ate with sinners. I love the way that Jesus did things that he knew would ruffle people’s feathers. I love that I can live freely because of this guy who said and did unexpected things.
Donald Miller writes in Searching for God Knows What, “I think the best thing a person can do is to read through the Gospels in the Bible and really look at Jesus, because if a person does this, they will realize that the Jesus they learned about in Sunday school or the Jesus they hear jokes about or the skinny, Gandhi Jesus that exists in their imaginations isn’t anything like the real Jesus at all.” For some reason, sharing the Word really gives me such a refreshing and exciting view of the Gospels. If you haven’t read the Gospel in a while, then I recommend the book of Luke.

3. Car
Perhaps you remember that early on I was trying to decide whether to buy a car here in Swaziland. I did not end up purchasing a car. Now, as I need a car to work with the Lavumisa church plant, the McCubbins have agreed to let me barrow a car when I need it on Sundays. This is exciting, as I see that the Lord is providing just what I need.
I feel like the decision not to buy a car was the right decision, but sometimes I still struggle with it. When I visit people in the rural areas who are unable to walk to the kombi route and have no way of getting to the clinic, then I wish that I could help them with a car.
A few weeks ago, Arnau and I were talking about the car decision. He said something to the effect that even if I did still buy one for the Lavumisa church (which we now know that I won’t), that he’s still glad that I didn’t have one for the first months. In fact, he said that in some ways he’s even jealous that I have been able to have a whole set of experiences that he’s never had because he has always had a car in Swaziland.
When I came to Swaziland, I knew that I would learn a lot. Public transportation has been one significant source of learning, but it’s not always glamorous. And I must admit that sometimes I feel uncomfortable waiting for a kombi to pick me up at the side of the road. Sometimes, it makes me feel like a (for lack of better word) poser. Here I am taking public transportation to learn about the Swazi life. However, every other person on the kombi would gladly purchase a car if they only had the funds. I realize that I will never really be able to see life from their perspective.

4. Water Projects
I have been involved with some small water projects. We are planning to convert surface spring water to clean, drinkable water. This has been fun for me to be involved in.
I’ve always said that there are so many things that I’d love to do that if I had 50 different lives I’d choose 50 different jobs. Maybe in one of these 50 lives I’d specialize in water projects in developing countries.

5. Lavumisa Church Plant
I have mentioned a potential Lavumisa church plant in several of my updates. We have met each of the last two Sundays in a round hut on the homestead of the Member of Parliament who invited us to start a church in his area.
We are interested in a new type of church plant, and we really want to build up a core who can in turn reach the community. Please continue to pray for the Lavumisa church and where God will take it. Please especially pray that the men would become strong leaders in their families for Jesus.
For more about the first service, read here: http://missionissues.wordpress.com/2008/02/25/planting-a-new-church/

6. My New Friend Johane
Let me tell you about my new friend, Johane. To get to Johane’s homestead, I take a 40 minute kombi ride and 15 minute walk into the very rural areas along with home-based care volunteers. Johane is about 65, but he tells me that he would have to check some papers to remember his exact birth year. His wife has passed away, and he lives alone. Two of his children live far away, the third lives nearby and visits on a rare occasion. His extended family largely ignores him. In fact, one of them told a home-based care volunteer to let them know when we find him dead. Otherwise, it could take months for anyone to know. Johane has a large wound on his lower-right leg. He requires crutches to get around, so it’s very difficult to ever leave his homestead. His last time going to town was over a year ago. Once a month he hitches a ride along the road to pick up his entire income, R80 of pension money ($12). He has a nice garden with many types of fruit and vegetables, but as a whole he doesn’t eat very much. About 30 meters from his house, he long ago dug a hole of about 4 meters deep for water. He throws down a bucket, pulls it up with a rope, and has himself some filthy, green water. This is his only water source. His home is constructed of concrete block, but it is in extremely bad condition and falling apart.
Johane’s leg wound is about 2.5 inches in diameter. He first wounded his leg around 1993, or as he said, one year before South African freedom. I don’t really understand how it happened, although he mentioned something about a large piece of wood puncturing his leg. Over the past 15 years he has a few medical treatments, including surgery to amputate his toes. Through this time, though, the wound has never fully healed, and he has now not seen a doctor in years. He has no means to access medical treatment. Actually, I don’t think that he had even cleaned his wound well in years. He didn’t even have soap when I first visited him. As you can imagine, the wound was filthy and oozing.
On my first trip to visit Johane, I took a closely zoomed-in picture of the wound. I took this picture to the local pharmacist to discuss treatment that I could take to Johane. The pharmacist gave me antibiotics, aspirin (blood thinner), antiseptic, and bandages at approximately cost. I then purchased soap, washcloths, and towels.
I returned to Johane’s homestead with the home-based care supporters in his area. Suited up with rubber gloves, I began to wash his wound. I knew that this would be unpleasant, but I was not prepared for the smell. As large chunks of dead skin, dirt, and ooze fell off, the odor was very bad. I continued to wash until a large patch of red flesh was exposed. I also took this chance to also wash Johane’s feet. This was my first time ever washing someone’s feet, and I was excited that I had an opportunity in which it was very much needed. To state matters mildly, his feet were dirty.
Thus far, Johane has followed directions in taking his pills. His bandages have been replaced daily. After two days, his wound looked like it was beginning to heal, and I was very excited. I returned again four days later, and was disappointed that reverse progress had been made. Please pray for Johane and for his leg to heal. I might soon try to arrange transport to get him to a doctor. In particular, a diabetes test might be in order.
Through my time with Johane, we have developed a really special friendship.

7. Rafting Trip
A couple weekends ago, I went with Doctors Without Borders friends on a rafting trip on the Usutu River in Swaziland. This was great fun. I must admit that I did fall out once, but it was not a dangerous situation.
Rafting through rural Africa presented such an odd clash of cultures. Naked children ran out to the river to watch us raft by their homes. A topless Swazi woman was washing her clothes by the river (after writing in my last update that I had never seen a topless Swazi woman). A separate group of white South African doctors were also on our rafting trip. As we rafted by, I thought about how much we had spent on the trip and how hungry many of the onlookers were. I wondered what they were thinking and how it felt to be on their end. I felt odd as a tourist in Swaziland.

8. Upcoming Visitors
This month, I have two sets of visitors. My girlfriend Callie from Milwaukee and her sister Cora will be here March 8th-15th. We will spend three days in Swaziland and three days in Kruger National Park to see the animals. Kruger National Park is approximately the size of Israel and is one of the most famous protected areas in Africa.
I will also have friends visiting from Milwaukee on the 23rd-29th. Our agenda is not yet set, but we will spend some time in Durban, South Africa. We are also hoping to find a nice place to hike for a day or two.
I am really looking forward to seeing friends and having a chance to do some sight-seeing.

9. Thobile is on ARV’s
Thobile is on ARV’s. Her CD4 count was 149, and she began ARV’s about two weeks ago. So far, she has not experienced the common harsh side effects.

10. Prayer Requests
- Johane’s leg to heal, Johane’s faith, and praise for our friendship
- Lavumisa church, especially for strong family leaders
- Time with visitors this month
- Continued joy in my remaining time in Swaziland
- ARV treatment for Fansile and Thobile
- Lwazi, Sifiso, Lihle, and Fansile

Sawubona,

Hello again from Swaziland! First off, I really want to thank so many of you who have told me that you read and enjoy my emails. I feel blessed to have so many people who care about me and my time in Africa.

For my next email update, I would like to do my best impression of Carrie Muskat’s Mailbag on Cubs.com or David Letterman’s CBS mailbag. So, whether you receive this email directly from me or if it’s passed on from a friend, please feel free to email me questions. Anything is fair game. If I get a lot of questions, I might not be able to answer them all. If I don’t get many questions, then I’ll make some up to try to save face for my failed experiment. So, don’t be bashful, send those questions to me.

I have been visiting homesteads regularly, and this has continued to be such a wonderful experience. I am really realizing the impact of the home-based care groups throughout southern Swaziland, as almost 250 trained home-base care workers are part of our network. I have been so blessed to see their servant hearts as they do all that they can to help their neighbors. Their dedication is amazing.

If you’re interested, please continue to read below for all sorts of stories and follow-ups. Also, please remember to email questions for next update’s Swaziland Mailbag!

Nkhulunkhulu akubusisa,
Tim

+++++++++++ For the curious: +++++++++++

1. I Can Read
2. Thobile Again
3. Fansile Is On ARV’s
4. Rare Sights
5. Some Challenges
6. I Gave the Sermon
7. Lavumisa Church
8. Please Continue to Pray
9. Prayer Requests

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1. I Can Read
A while back, I proudly delivered the information that I’m not an idiot. Now, I’m finding out that I can read, too. Before coming to Swaziland, I don’t think I had finished reading a book in years, but rural Africa can turn almost anyone into a reader. I have enjoyed reading. Right now I’m working on a great baseball book: Three Nights in August.

2. Thobile Again
You’ve probably noticed that Thobile appears in many of my updates. I try to stop by her work to check on her every couple of weeks. I’ve seen many, many sick Swazis now, but you might remember that I met Thobile my very first week here. She was one of the four people in the hospital room when I met my very first sick Swazis, and for this reason she has a special place in my heart. I could write about a different person in each update, but I enjoy letting you get to know Thobile.
This week I visited Thobile at work. I always ask her over and over if she’s feeling okay and if she’s feeling healthy. Just as I was about to leave, I asked one more time. She pointed out that she has started to get small sores on her skin. She showed me several small sores on her arms and feet and told me that there are more. She started to get the sores two months ago, and I know that they’ll likely get worse and worse. This provided the opportunity to talk about ARV’s and if she wants to get a CD4 test to check her eligibility. She and I are both quite certain that she would qualify. She had a CD4 test a couple years ago with results in the mid-200’s (below 200 is the threshold for ARV’s). I have realized that she is very thin, but when I saw a picture of her from two years ago, I was shocked at how much weight she has lost. Without ARV’s I know that she could get very sick very fast, and then who would take care of her grandmother and daughter? I know that ARV’s are important for Thobile to live the best quality of life and to live as long as possible.
Starting on ARV’s is a difficult decision. We talked about three specific fears that Thobile has of starting ARV treatment:
a) Missing work. If Thobile starts on ARV’s, then she’ll have to be late to work on the day of the CD4 test, she’ll have to miss a day of work to start ARV’s, and she’ll have to miss a day of work each month for checkups and ARV refills. She works 8-5 Monday through Saturday, and getting the time off would be very difficult, not to mention the lost day’s wages. She said that her boss would be very upset if she starts to miss a day of work each month. She also rejected the idea of explaining the situation to her boss and asking for cooperation (although I’m going to talk with her about this again and ask if we could talk to her boss together).
b) Side effects. Thobile does not know anyone who is on ARV’s, but she has heard terrible things about side effects on the radio. Admittedly, ARV’s can be very harsh with numerous side effects. Without ARV’s, though, she will suffer in other ways, such as increased skin problems and almost certain earlier death.
c) “Life sentence.” Thobile knows that if she starts on ARV’s that she will have to take them for the rest of her life. This seems like a trap to her.
I’m sure that there are other fears that Thobile and I didn’t discuss (such as stigma and discrimination if people find out), but the main point is that starting ARV treatment is a hard decision to make. This is why denial is sometimes much easier. I am encouraging Thobile toward ARV’s, but she must make he decision herself. I will keep you updated.

3. Fansile Is On ARV’s
I’ve also written previously about Fansile. I first met Fansile at her homestead when we had actually come to visit her grandma. After I realized her extreme sickness, Fansile and I walked through all the steps to get her on ARV’s except the final visit to the clinic to start on ARV’s. We lost touch over Christmas, but this past week I visited her homestead with three home-based care members. I was excited to see that she had been to the clinic to start ARV’s. I was also excited that one of the home-based care members who I was with, Make Msimango (Make means “mother” but is used like Mrs.), is on ARV’s and was able to give very good ARV counseling to Fansile. Unfortunately, Fansile had not been taking her ARV’s because she had no watch, clock, or cell phone at her homestead to keep time. She didn’t know what would happen if she took her ARV’s at the incorrect time, so she had stopped. Make Msimango was able to give her advice to simply take the ARV’s as close as possible to 6:00AM and 6:00PM as she can guess, and she stressed that it’s very important that she does not stop taking ARV’s. Make Msimango then told Fansile to come to her homestead and ask any questions that come up regarding ARV’s. This is one example of the lack of intuition that many Swazis have regarding medication, and this is one reason that ARV counseling from the home-based care groups is so important.
I was excited to see the effectiveness of the home-based care. I am glad to know that Fansile is now in good hands of people who will continue to look after her and encourage her to properly take her ARV’s. This is really an example of the effectiveness of the home-based care system.
I was also glad to see continued improvement in Fansile’s skin from the medication that the doctor has given her. I am confident that the ARV’s will continue the improvement. She appears to be so much healthier than she was two months ago. She and her family are very grateful.

4. Rare Sights
There are a few things that I have rarely or never seen here:
a) I’ve never seen an airplane fly over Nhlangano. When the sky is clear, I search all day long, but I have yet to see an airplane. I don’t think that a single commercial route flies over Nhlangano, and no private airports are nearby that I know of.
b) I’ve never seen a Swazi spit, but I bet I’ve seen men urinating at the side of the road hundreds of times.
c) I’ve never seen a window screen in Swaziland. For a country with hot temperatures, no air conditioning, and many bugs, this seems a little surprising.
d) I’ve never seen a Swazi chew gum (except maybe once on the bus to Manzini).
e) I’ve never seen a topless Swazi woman like they show in all the pictures, but I’ve seen plenty of Swazi women nursing — on the street, in church, beside me on public transportation — pretty much anywhere.

5. Some Challenges
Overall, I’m still feeling great, but I do sometimes face discouragement. Perhaps I’m hitting a second round of cultural adjustment. As the newness and automatic excitement for life in Africa wear off, I’m faced with a new set of realities and challenges.
Over the past couple weeks, I’ve really started to miss family and friends back home. I wouldn’t say that I feel lonely, but I certainly have an emptiness that can only be filled by people who are almost 10,000 miles away.
I also am able to see some of the challenges and limitations of short-term missions. In the end, I know that I will have affected several people in deep ways, and I know that I’ll never see life the same again. I also realize the incredible importance of long-term missionaries like Arnau, who has been in Swaziland now for 23 years. The relationships that he has formed and the understanding of Swaziland that he has developed have enabled him to establish a very large and growing ministry for AIDS care throughout southern Swaziland.

6. I Gave the Sermon
With about 20 minutes of notice before the service on January 27th, I was asked to preach because Arnau wasn’t feeling well. Like my conversation with Lwazi a couple months ago, I talked from Galatians 5. I really believe that we all have to make a simple decision whether or not to fight the sinful nature and replace it with the Spirit. Over and over, I am amazed that people think that we know a little better than God what will be good for us.

7. Lavumisa Church
I wrote about a potential church plant in Lavumisa in my early updates. We will have a meeting on February 24th in Lavumisa to figure out if there is a need, and how to proceed if so. As I mentioned before, Arnau would like to make this a different type of church plant. Instead of putting up a tent and hoping people come, we would like to first develop a core group of one or two families and then grow from there. I might end up having a lot of involvement with this church, so please keep it in your prayers.

8. Please Continue to Pray
Please continue to pray for me. I really need your continued prayers. I am so grateful for all the prayer that I have received. I can’t explain it except to say that it means a whole lot. I feel like one of the most prayed for people on earth, and I thank you for this.

9. Prayer Requests- Please continue to keep Lwazi, Thobile, and Fansile in your prayers.
- Continued guidance for the ways that God can use me in ministry
- Lavumisa church: preparation and guidance
- Expansion of the home-based care groups starting soon and continuing throughout the year
- Praise for food shipments for the Dwaleni orphans
- Prayer for Make Khumalo’s daughter Sibongile, who is sick with TB
- Prayer for sustained joy and contentment for me throughout my stay

Well, the unexpected happened to me. With the holidays and a busy time in the fields for the Swazis, my life slowed down a bit. As a result, it has been a little while since I wrote. I enjoyed Christmas in Swaziland very much, but of course I did miss being home. I had a couple weeks with only scattered activity, so I did a lot of relaxing and a lot of reading. I’m ready to return to a more regular schedule of visiting homesteads.

The last few weeks have been highlighted by a visit from Saddleback Church to see the ministry here. I was also able to go with Fansile to pick up her CD4 report, which showed that she easily qualifies for ARV’s. I have also spent some time teaching sports and computers to the children on the farm.

I have quite a few pictures and videos available at the links below. Again, most of the pictures are of the children on the farm. I was recently able to take a few good pictures and videos at homesteads, but they will not be available on the Internet for a month or two.
Pictures:
  http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=10193&l=9fd27&id=591774512
YouTube Videos:
  Singing at a meeting for leaders of the home-based care groups (this is in my church building) -
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xEPwjPCViY8
  Children on the farm (the little girl singing is Image) -
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KayRbc0g4yQ
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAMGO2NU310
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08JxHvD3Tr0
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_nsOBI6pLs
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uObJvXgRc4c
  Orphans who are fed by the Dwaleni church -
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpwmbtEIdQE

+++++++++++ For the curious: +++++++++++

1. Kombi Half Full, Kombi Half Empty
2. Fansile Update
3. Thobile’s Finances
4. Holidays
5. Saddleback Church HIV Ministries
6. I’m a Gym Teacher
7. A Few Thoughts on Living in the Fullness of Christ
8. Prayer Requests

—————————————-

1. Kombi Half Full, Kombi Half Empty
When I first started taking public transportation in Swaziland, I was shocked at how many people squeeze into the kombis. I remember my first kombi trip to Manzini when I was sitting five people wide and a speaker was located where my head was supposed to go. But, this situation has become very natural now. In fact, on the few occasions that I have been standing alongside the road and a kombi has passed me by because it is too full, I have thought to myself, “I could have easily fit onto that kombi.” Is the kombi half full, or is the kombi half empty? I guess it’s all a matter of perspective.

2. Fansile Update
I went with Fansile to pick up her CD4 test results. As you might remember, she would be eligible for ARV’s with a CD4 count below 200. Not surprisingly, her count was at 50, showing very advanced stages of AIDS progression. I am hopeful that she will be able to begin ARV’s this month.

3. Thobile’s Finances
Recently I stopped by Thobile’s work to give her a candy bar and some spinach for Christmas. She happened to share her finances with me. She makes just under $150 per month. This is actually a pretty good salary here because she has computer skills and uses Microsoft Excel at the local tire repair shop. Workers in a nearby clothing factory and workers on the farm that I live on earn about $120/month. My friend Thumsani, who works an average of 72 hours/week as a security guard at a gas station in town, makes a little bit less than Thobile.
  In any case, Thobile makes $150/month. With this money, she takes care of her disabled grandma, her 13 month old daughter, and herself. Her top priority is transportation to and from work, which costs $35/month. Then, she purchases formula for her baby (she does not breastfeed because she is HIV+) for about $30/month. She takes a multi-vitamin for about $5/month. This leaves $80 to feed her grandma and herself and to cover all other expenses. It simply isn’t enough.
  Thobile lives on her father’s homestead. When Thobile was very young, her mother died. Since then, her father has remarried, and the new wife wants nothing to do with Thobile. She has also managed to keep Thobile’s father away from Thobile. Thobile’s baby’s father lives in South Africa. He also makes very little money. Thobile says that he is still nice to her, but he is not able to help her much financially. So Thobile very much has to fight for the survival of her baby, her grandma, and herself.
  I’ve been thinking a lot about Thobile’s difficult financial situation. I can’t get over the fact that Thobile is one of the best paid Swazis who I’ve met, she only has two other people to feed, and she still struggles just to live. So many other people in Swaziland make much less (if anything) and have many more mouths to feed. AIDS dramatically worsens the situation here because it affects people in their prime working years. It is no wonder that the extended family support system in Swaziland has broken down. At some point, there is not enough food for everyone. In fact, about two thirds of Swazis live on less than fifty US cents per day.

4. Holidays
I spent Christmas on the farm. With a little assistance from a friend from UIUC, I bought each kid on the farm a small gift plus an incredibly delicious chocolate bar and five pictures in a new photo book. Swazis typically don’t have many pictures, so I traveled to the nation’s capital city in order to print off some digital pictures for the kids. I made sure to have at least one of each child alone. They loved these pictures! I spent much of Christmas and the 26th assembling the Lego kits that I gave to each of the boys.
  Between Christmas and New Years, I stayed for a few days with Arnau’s family in Piet Retief. We had a really nice and relaxed time. We watched a lot of movies, went swimming in a local pool, read a lot, and ate wonderful meals. I also had a seemingly endless supply of fresh fruit including lychees and mangos… mmmm! Arnau’s wife even bought a turkey for a late Thanksgiving dinner!
  I spent New Years with the Doctors Without Borders folks. I like this group a lot. We had a nice time around a campfire. I have been spending a some time with these people on the weekends too. I am so blessed to have friends my own age! I especially enjoy Isaac the Kenyan.

5. Saddleback Church HIV Ministries
You might be familiar with Saddleback Church from the Purpose Driven books. Kay Warren, the wife of Pastor Rick Warren, is very active in HIV/AIDS ministries. On December 27th, the director of HIV ministries at Saddleback Church came to visit the ministry here. He also brought some of his family members.
  We first met with three home-based care volunteers at the Dwaleni church. The Saddleback crew asked many questions about the state of AIDS in Swaziland, and they focused particularly on the cultural aspects. This was insightful for me to listen and learn.
  We then visited two homesteads that have been dramatically affected by AIDS. I was able to take some pictures and videos that might help you to get a good visual picture of the people here. However, they will not be available on the Internet for another month or so.

6. I’m a Gym Teacher
While the children are on summer break from school, Michelle has asked me to have some sports and computer time with them. So, I have been having fun teaching them skills for several sports, including Frisbee, soccer, table tennis, and baseball. I’ve also found that one wonderful way to get them to run is for me to throw a disc golf disc as far as I can and have them race to bring it back for me to throw again. You might enjoy the fact that our sports time takes place in cow pastures. Since we don’t actually have a gym, I guess that I’d be called a pasture teacher rather than a gym teacher.
  I’ve also been teaching some basic computer skills. Only a couple of the orphans on the farm have ever used a computer. We have two computers set up next to each other, and I rotate the kids so that they can all start to learn.

7. A Few Thoughts on Living in the Fullness of Christ
I don’t want to sound preachy in these updates, but I do want to share a few thoughts on living in the fullness of Christ. Especially during the Christmas season, I had a few people email and express some sort of guilt that they are in the US living comfortably while I’m here in Swaziland. Guilt is not really a perspective that I endorse unless it is in response to sin.. So, I decided to send out some thoughts on this subject…
  I’ve emailed with a few people recently about what it means to live in the fullness of Christ. So often, people associate a higher level of living in the fullness of Christ with activities such as international missions or working with the poor or oppressed. Yes, I agree that God has called certain people to these activities and that they’re a special way to serve Him. But does this mean that working a traditional job in the US is only living a portion of what God has to offer? Sometimes people feel inferior in their relationship with Christ because they are working in a field that is not related to ministry in any way.
  The Good Lord has been talking to me about this a lot during my time here, and I have come away with several thoughts. Here are a few useful questions: Are you living where the Good Lord wants you to live? Are you working where the Good Lord wants you to work? Are you spending your time and money how the Good Lord wants you to spend your time and money? Are you progressing in your relationship with the Good Lord as He desires for you? Is your life displaying the fruit of the spirit?
  These questions are not meant to induce guilt, but rather freedom! If you are living how the Lord wants you to live, then bask in the freedom that he has offered you! If the answers are yes, then smile. This is what living in the fullness of Christ looks like for you right now in your current situation. If you’re not sure what the answers are, then do some praying and talk to someone who can help you sort through these questions. If the answers are no, then it’s time for some adjustments. Don’t act out of guilt or fear, but rather in response to Christ’s calling. One lesson that I’ve learned over and over again is that life is always better in Christ. There’s just no competition.
  When I return to the States in June 2008 and begin working for GE again, then I will confidently say that I’m living in Christ’s fullness (assuming that He doesn’t redirect me by then)… Not because I have “paid my time” for international missions. This actually has no bearing whatsoever, as following Christ is not a points system. Instead, I’ll be living where God wants me, working where God wants me, and doing my all to be living how God wants me to live.
  I hope this makes sense. The main point is that life in Christ comes in many varieties. Embrace what the Good Lord has given to you.

8. Prayer Requests
- Fansile beginning ARV’s: For the side effects to be minimal, for her ability to take the pills as prescribed, and for wonderful results that would heal her skin condition and improve her quality of life.
- For my ministry here. How can I best serve the Lord for the rest of my time here?
- For the general state of Swaziland
- For my learning of siSwati
- For continued understanding of how I can meet people’s physical needs in appropriate, healthy, and godly ways
- Praise: I will have visitors in March!

The past couple weeks have been great. They are highlighted by helping a very sick girl walk through the steps to get AIDS treatment. I also had another great meeting with Lwazi. I attended a couple very fun and very long certificate-giving ceremonies that really let the culture shine through. Last and least, I had a chance to visit a small game reserve.

This will be my final update email this month, so I wish you all a merry Christmas and happy New Year! I will be staying here on the farm, which should be fun. I will certainly miss my family, but I am especially looking forward to Christmas with the children here.

Much love from Swaziland. Thanks for your continued prayers and encouragement!

+++++++++++ For the curious: +++++++++++

1. Fansile
2. When Inefficiency Can Get Frustrating
3. ARV’s
4. If It’s Going to Happen…
5. Lwazi
6. Game Reserve
7. Gogo’s Health
8. Swazis Love Certificates
9. Swazis Love Calendars
10. Prayer Requests

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1. Fansile
On Thursday, December 6th, I visited several homesteads. At one homestead, we were visiting an old woman with very bad knees and legs, probably due to diabetes.
However, my attention was much more drawn to a girl at the homestead named Fansile. She had an extremely bad skin condition. She covered as much of her body as possible with clothing, but the problem could easily be seen below her ears and on her neck. She lifted up her scarf to let me see her decaying neck. I asked several questions, some with the help of an interpreter. I found out that she has had the condition for three years. In that time, she has not been able to afford a trip to the clinic (about $3.50 US including transportation). Her skin condition is painful, and the itching is extreme. I have been told that leprosy does not exist in this area, but I imagine that this situation is as close as I’ll ever get to it.
In my last update, I wrote about not always knowing when and how to help hungry or sick people. In this case, I didn’t even think twice to arrange plans to meet in town to take her to a doctor. I gave her kombi fare and told her to meet me on the following Tuesday, December 11th.
On the 11th, I took Fansile to a doctor’s office in Nhlangano rather that trying our luck with the long lines of the clinic. On the walk there, I noticed that she walked very slowly and with a limp. She said that this was due to the many sores on her skin. The doctor examined Fansile, and then she called me in to explain the situation. She told me some of Fansile’s history that I did not yet know, mostly because Fansile does not speak much English. Each of Fansile’s four children has died: one at 3 years, one at 3 months, and a pair of twins each at the age of two months. The children’s father died in July of this year. The doctor said that the skin condition is almost certainly related to HIV/AIDS. Fansile’s skin condition is extremely bad, especially, as the doctor said, around her private parts. Skin conditions like these are very common here for people suffering from AIDS. The doctor advised to take Fansile to NATICC, a local AIDS testing and counseling center, for an HIV test. If positive (and the doctor said that she was nearly sure that Fansile is HIV+ with advanced stages of AIDS progression), then we should follow up with a CD4 blood test to measure her progression of AIDS. As a general rule, if a patient’s CD4 count is below 200, then he/she is eligible for a course of medication called ARV’s (see the section below called “ARV’s”). I had been reading portions of a book on AIDS and skin disease, and none of the information that the doctor provided was a surprise.
We then walked to NATICC, where Fansile reluctantly admitted that she had tested positive for HIV in the past. I think she was previously trying to hide this, but she knew that it was going to come out soon anyway. So we talked to the NATICC people about obtaining a CD4 test. The CD4 test is required to start ARV’s, and the ARV’s are actually free in Swaziland if the CD4 count is below 200. Unfortunately, only 20 patients are accepted for CD4 tests each week in Nhlangano, the first 20 to show up at NATICC on Wednesday morning (for more info on this, see the section below called “When Inefficiency Can Get Frustrating”). People begin arriving around 5:00am, and many are turned away each week. Fansile lives 20 minutes from Nhlangano and the first kombi does not arrive early enough to guarantee her a CD4 test. So, I discussed this with the people at NATICC, and they agreed to make sure she gets the blood test as long as she arrived by 7:30am the following morning.
Fansile was able to arrive early and was the 14th person in line. She had her CD4 test, and we will soon get the results. I am confident that her CD4 count is below 200. This is sad, because it shows that she is in a bad state with AIDS, but this is exciting because the ARV’s will very probably dramatically improve her skin condition.

2. When Inefficiency Can Get Frustrating
When I set out for Swaziland, I knew that I would have to adapt to a very different setting than the demands for efficiency experienced living and working in America. Sometimes, the lack of efficiency can be amusing and I can roll with the punches, like when I experience problems at the post office. But sometimes it’s hard not to get frustrated when lives are ate stake.
Why does NATICC only accept 20 patients per week for a CD4 test? This is because the lab in Hlatikulu only runs their machine one day per week, and it serves an entire region. Why do they run it only one day per week? They say that they are short on people to run the expensive machine. However, minimal training is required because the machine does most of the work. So, this expensive machine that is desperately needed for people to begin ARV treatment sits idle for six days per week with seemingly no good reason. A day’s wages to pay someone to run it would be roughly $4 US.
Benedict, who directs NATICC in Nhlangano, says that he has asked the department of health to run the machine more often, but they refuse with no good explanation. Each Wednesday, NATICC turns away many people who do not arrive early enough to be one of the first 20 people. Some of these patients are so sick that they are being carried in by friends and family, and they must also be carried away without the test.
These are the situations in which I must consciously fight frustration to keep a sense of sanity. I prayed before coming that I would be able to deal well with these situations, and I believe that the Good Lord is honoring that. Once again, this is life in Africa. This time, however, it’s not as funny as obtaining a certificate that declares that I’m not an idiot.
This story reminds me of my conversation with my friend and cousins’ cousin Mark Knowles before I left Milwaukee. From his experience in the Peace Corps, Mark told me that culture shock is not noticing that the women carry baskets on their heads. For him, part of it was being exposed to a culture of lying. At first, it might not seem like it will be too much of an issue. However, when someone says he’ll help you and doesn’t, and then it affects or ruins the project you’ve been working on for a year and a half… then, it gets pretty frustrating. I am grateful for the conversation I had with Mark, because it helped me to think through and be prepared for situations like this.

3. ARV’s
I am not a doctor, and if you are a medical doctor, then please skip to the next section so I don’t embarrass myself.
Let me try to give a dumb man’s introduction to antiretroviral therapy (ARV’s). Patients who suffer from AIDS have a reduced CD4 count in their blood. Patients can have a blood test to measure their CD4 count, and if it falls below 200, then it indicates advanced stages of AIDS. These patients are eligible for ARV’s. In Swaziland, ARV tablets are provided by the government for free.
ARV’s have been shown to dramatically fight the HIV virus and boost the immune system through a combination of several drugs. A few weeks after starting ARV’s, a person’s condition can improve dramatically. Lifespan and quality of life are significantly improved in many cases. However, severe side effects can often occur including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and fat redistribution. Because the drugs are toxic, the side effects are severe, and some patients are forced to change their treatment. Similar to chemo and radiation therapy, the process is not pleasant, but the results are often life-changing. It normally takes several weeks for improvement to be evident, so some people lose hope and give up on the ARV’s. This is often worse than if they had never taken ARV’s to begin with.
In Fansile’s case, the doctor seemed confident that after 6-10 weeks on ARV’s vast improvement in her skin condition would be evident.
If you’re interested in a good explanation of ARV’s, then please check out the Wikipedia page on anti-retroviral therapy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiretroviral_drug

4. If It’s Going to Happen…
It’s hard for me to describe the type of joy that I have had here thus far. I don’t want people to be suffering like this, but if they are then I want to be with them.

5. Lwazi
I had another great meeting with Lwazi. We looked at Galatians 5 and the contrast between acts of the sinful nature and the fruit of the spirit. With a big smile, he said that he prefers the fruit of the spirit. We also took a look at Romans 2:7-11 to once again contrast good versus evil. I took Lwazi and his little brother to lunch at a good but cheap restaurant in town (8 rand or about $1.20 for lunch).
I have not been able to meet with Sifiso (who I incorrectly called Mifiso in my last email) again, and I don’t have a way to get in touch with him. Hopefully I’ll run into him in town again soon.

6. Game Reserve
I visited a small game reserve with everyone from the farm. This was fun. We drove around in a Land Cruiser and saw giraffes, zebras, wildebeests, warthogs, impala, and several other deer-like creatures. There were also two lions in cages, but this was not much different than seeing the lions at University of North Alabama. It was a fun trip to the game reserve, but it certainly did not satisfy my thirst for a more natural African wildlife setting.

7. Gogo’s Health
Gogo has been feeling better recently. She also told me that in September she tested negative for HIV. This makes me very happy.

8. Swazis Love Certificates
How can I describe how much Swazis they love certificates? On Thursday, Dec 13th, I attended a ceremony to give certificates to the most recent group of home-based care supporters for successful completion of ten days of training. The ceremony was fun because it was very much a celebration. There was festive singing, speeches, skits, scripture, prayer, etc. The ceremony lasted about 4 hours and 15 minutes and was followed by lunch. This topped the 4 hour preschool graduation that I attended a couple weekends ago. Both of these ceremonies were fun because the people sing with joy.

9. Swazis Love Calendars
And the Swazis love calendars, too. Each year, Arnau prints out many calendars to distribute to the home care workers and around town. These are poster-format calendars with each month of the year visible and pictures along the sides. I was given a few of these to distribute at the farm. Normally, I feel extremely safe walking around town, but not so much when I’m carrying calendars! Everybody wants a calendar! I’ve never had people hassle me like when I was carrying the calendars around town.

10. Prayer Requests
- Fansile’s health and healing for her skin condition
- Lwazi’s continued excitement about the word
- Christmas apart from the family and loved ones back home
- Praise that I’ve successfully submitted my application for Swazi residence
- Praise for joy that I have had here
- Praise for the ways that the Good Lord has protected me and kept me safe