The Swaziland Experience

After my last update, I thought to myself that maybe the number of stories that I have and the length of my emails would decrease. That night, I was about 15 yards from a lightening strike. Since then, I’ve met a lady who is recovering from being struck twice by lightening. So, I think that these are simple messages that my life here won’t get dull.

The patterns of life here have been the same. I have been visiting homesteads and going to meetings for the home-based care groups. I have also been able to develop relationships with random people around town, and this has been great.

I had a great Thanksgiving celebration with a couple other Americans and a few other internationals from Doctors Without Borders. I don’t know if turkey exists on this continent, but the chicken was great. I made mashed potatoes.

Much love from Africa. Thanks for the words of encouragement that many of you have sent and for the prayers. I understand more and more why missionaries often say that their biggest need is prayer. I have so many people praying for me, and I ask you please to continue! I have also been praying for friends and family more than ever before in my life.

Again, I ask you to read on if you’re curious for more. I really want to keep these emails a bit shorter, but I just can’t do it. Read what you’d like below, but please try to hit the prayer requests at the end.

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

1. I’m Not an Idiot
2. There’s No Other Way
3. Friends at the Library
4. Thirsty
5. Thobile Update
6. Meeting Physical Needs
7. There is a Lot of Death
8. Names, Genders, and Ages of the Orphans
9. Thanksgiving
10. Prayer Requests

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1. I’m Not an Idiot
I now have proof that I’m not an idiot. I need a medical clearance for a residence permit in Swaziland. So, this week I went to a doctor’s office to complete the Swaziland form. The certificate reads:
“I hereby certify that I have examined Timothy Deller and find that he is not mentally or physically defective in any way, … that he is not an idiot, epileptic, insane, mentally deficient, … and that he is not suffering from leprosy, tuberculosis, or trachoma.“
You might wonder what this examination consisted of. They took my blood pressure, charged me 60R (approx $10), and signed the form. Welcome to Africa.

2. There’s No Other Way
I’ve been thinking a lot about what Swaziland needs to improve its situation. When I was talking to one of the Peace Corps girls, she was convinced that addressing the gender inequality issue will fix all of Swaziland’s problems. I remember meeting a really great guy at a week of training with GE, and he said (almost a direct quote), “I believe that education is the answer to all the world’s problems.”
I agree that gender inequality and lack of education are gigantic issues in Swaziland and throughout the world. However, I do not believe that these are the root cause of the many problems. I genuinely believe with all my heart that what Swaziland needs (and any other country for that matter) is to live for Jesus. I know that to many people, sharing the word of God seems like a frivolous activity and a waste of time. My belief is that there is nothing better that we can do to help a hurting nation than to share about Jesus. Read on for more thoughts on this…

3. Friends at the Library
On Thanksgiving Day, I was in town with some time to kill. So, I went to the library to write a couple letters. As I was writing one of the letters, four or five high school guys came up to me and started talking to me. They were trying to intimidate me I think, but I just sat and talked with them. They asked why I’m here, and I explained what I was doing. Somehow, I got on the subject that I read my Bible almost every day, and I asked if they had Bibles. They didn’t. I had two Zulu Gideon New Testaments that Peter had given me, and I gave them out to two of the guys. We continued to talk. Swazi boys like to talk about sex, and the subject came up in reference to living Godly lives. I talked about the fact that condoms help to prevent HIV, but that sex outside of marriage messes with your head. I said to them just imagine how special it will be one day for me when I will have sex for the first time in my life with my wife. Their eyes lit up, and they really seemed to agree. They asked so many questions: What if I was dating a girl who had had sex before? How could I possibly trust my girlfriend in the US while I’m in Swaziland? Do other people in the US have sex before marriage? … on and on. It was funny to see them change from joking around and making fun of me at first to listening intently to my every word for an hour. I believe that the Spirit was working in their hearts. I tried to paint a broader picture that following God is more than just a set of rules. Following God makes lives much, much better. I asked them to imagine Swaziland if no one had sex before marriage. Would there be an HIV/AIDS problem? What would happen to the orphan situation? What if no one stole in Swaziland? What if men respected women instead of whistling when they walk by? What if people didn’t lie and you could trust them? Do you know anyone whose life has improved by excessive drinking or by smoking marijuana? You could really see their brains chugging.
A few minutes after they left, one returned. He said to me that I could keep writing my letter and that he just wanted to come back to be with me. Instead, I started asking him questions. His name is Lwazi, and he’s 15 years old. He has two siblings. His parents are alive and together, and the five of them share a room. His dad is sick with TB (which almost always implies AIDS), and he thinks his mom is getting sick too. They can’t work right now, so they can’t afford food. Lwazi’s grandpa had seven wives, three of which are still alive and living on their homestead. Alcohol and marijuana are used a lot in his family, but Lwazi has tried to avoid them. His grades are down because of his home situation, but he’s trying. I read with him the last few verses of Romans 8, and it was emotional for me. I’ve never been in a situation in which I needed those verses for encouragement. One thing that amazed me was that Lwazi never asked me for anything. I set up a time to meet with Lwazi again in a few days.
I did meet with Lwazi again, and his friend Mifiso also came. We went through many of the important verses found in the back of the Gideon New Testament together. This was a good way to present the gospel, and I believe that follow-up is so important after presenting the gospel. I am hoping to meet regularly with them during my time here. Please pray that this works out, particularly because transportation will be more difficult for Lwazi after school lets out for the summer next week. I had a really good time with these two guys. Mifiso told me that before he did not believe in God, but now he does.

4. Thirsty
After meeting with Lwazi and Mifiso, I thought a lot about the times when Jesus referred to a thirst for the Good News. I see a thirst in Lwazi and Mifiso like I’ve never experienced before. I feel like I understand so much better why Jesus was attracted to society’s underdogs, because they recognized and acted on a desire for truth.

5. Thobile Update
When I first met Thobile (the girl at the clinic who I wrote about in my first update from Swaziland), she told me where she works and asked me to visit her there some day. On Thanksgiving, I stopped by to see her. I was so happy to find her alive and healthier than the last time I had seen her. I returned again to bring her some spinach from our garden at the farm. She was grateful. Everyone is grateful when I give them spinach. I will continue to visit her at work from time to time. She runs a computer at a tire repair shop.

6. Meeting Physical Needs
James 2:15-16 and many other verses throughout the Bible address meeting physical needs in addition to spiritual needs. I’ve been praying about the best way to put this into practice here in Swaziland where both the physical needs and spiritual needs are overwhelmingly large. For example, how can I help to meet Lwazi’s physical needs in a wise, God-honoring, and loving way?

7. There is a Lot of Death
The first two weeks that was here, I think that I visited about 12 homesteads. I have been told that already three of the people who I have visited have passed away. Before I came, my biggest prayer was for emotional and spiritual preparation for what I would encounter while I’m here. I believe that God is honoring that request. I have not yet developed a relationship with someone who has passed away, but if/when that happens, I trust that God will continue to help me to process these things in a healthy way.

8. Names, Genders, and Ages of the Orphans
I have had a couple requests for the names, genders, and ages of the orphans for curiosity and prayer purposes:
Nontobeko, F, 15
Precious (nicknamed Taiwan), F, 13
Bogiwe, F, 13
Bongi, F, 12
Menzi, M, 10
Zinhle, F, 9
Lindani, M, 9
Siyabonga, M, 9
Neliswa, M, 7
Image, F, 4
The house mother is a 57 year old Swazi woman named Constance. We call her Gogo, which translates to grandma. Gogo and I like each other a lot. If you looked at my pictures from my last update, then you saw her.

9. Thanksgiving
This year, I celebrated Thanksgiving with a group of Doctors Without Borders workers. There were two other Americans (one born in Jamaica), as well as a person from each of the following countries: Kenya, Belgium, Italy, Niger, and Luxembourg. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving feast, and I felt very blessed to celebrate Thanksgiving with a group of people. Note to my Milwaukee friends: the Kenyan is named Isaac, and he actually knew Albo seven years ago with Nairobi Chapel’s Salt ministry (I think this is for college students).

10. Prayer Requests- Gogo’s health (Gogo is the house mom for the orphans.)
- Visa situation for both Swaziland and South Africa. This is looking a little trickier than I had expected, although I’m not worried about it at this point.
- Lwazi, Mifiso, and their other friends who I met
- Understanding of appropriate ways to meet physical needs as well as spiritual needs
- That I follow the path of ministry that God has mapped out for me here
- Prayer for the people who I am visiting and for wisdom in how to encourage them, pray with them, and understand how to meet their needs
- Pray for the orphans and their development in all areas (names, genders, and ages above)
- Praise for an incredible amount of joy and contentment here, and prayer that it would continue