Dearest friends, hello! It has been a fantastic few weeks since I last wrote you J I apologize for my absence but we had no internet access in Mafucula! I will try to be brief, as it will be difficult to fit the last few weeks of activity into a short blog entry!
We have been completely submerged into culture for the last month! The Masukus gave us such a fantastic opportunity to get to really experience Swazi culture. A typical day in our life went a little something like this:
We had language study from nine in the morning til about one in the afternoon with our language instructor Bhekie, who has become a good friend and fantastic cultural informant. World Vision was kind enough to let us use a room at their care point as a classroom, so we would walk there each day. When we got back from language, our mother would always have dinner cooking. We knew it was time to eat when she said, “Phila, dish!” Dishing out the food was my job. Our parents own a small grocery store so sometimes after lunch we would spend our afternoons in the shop with our sister Zodwa. If not, we would sit outside our house, which is right by the primary and secondary schools or just rest. We went up to the house again around 4:30 to feed the chickens…that was my favorite thing. The chickens started to know us and we were somewhat the pied pipers of the chickens. They would follow us around everywhere! We would visit all of our animals – the Masukus have three dogs, six pigs, some cows and a bunch of chickens! (We named the dogs Lutszandvo (Love), Litcje (Stone), and Spot.) Kim knew it was time to start cooking because Make would say, “Nomsa, fire!” We cooked on an open fire every night with three-legged pots. We mostly ate rice with soup and chicken or any other kinds of meat. After dinner with Make, Babe, and Bongiswa (our sister Kayise’s son) was family devotion. We would sing songs and read the word in SiSwati and in English.
Our Babe gifted a chicken to us…which means that we have to catch and kill it also. If you know me, you know that I borderline vegetarianism on occasion. Bhekie caught the chicken for us and also killed it. I was mortified and couldn’t bring myself to eat chicken for the next few days!! I made it out okay, though J
Bongiswa, our nephew (6 yrs), stays with Make and Babe while his mother is in Manzini. He misses her very much so we are always playing with him and giving him sweets! Monday was his birthday so we got him a cake and some balloons (and of course some sweets and stickers). He loved it…and our family was very surprised. They said that they could see the love of the Father in us in the way we treated Swa. <3
For our last weekend living in Mafucula, our parents brought almost all of our siblings in from all around Swaziland! Our sister Kayise came back from Manzini where she had been staying with Lungile and Figile came from Pigg’s Peak as well. Zodwa stayed in Mafucula as well. Many of our nieces and nephews were there also. It was a great time to get to know our other sisters and to see Kayise. She stayed with us in our room and I helped her with Swa’s wash on Saturday (using a tub, a bar of soap, and our hands!) which was a good time to spend with her. Kim and I worked in the shop most of the day Saturday and we are getting pretty great at understanding what people are asking us for.
We are now back in Tshaneni where we will be staying for the rest of our time in Swaziland. We wanted to get started in the schools with the True Love Waits message, but the schools are doing exams right now because they’re preparing for their winter break. School will resume again in September, I believe, and then we’ll get to work. In the meantime, we’ll be continuing language study, helping with a short term team, and working with Corine - an American self-supported m* who we are living with.
Some ways that you can be talking to our Father for us:
* That we would continue to meet people who we can continue to build relationships with…I have made some friends with youth girls at our fellowship.
* That we would continue to meet people who we can continue to build relationships with…I have made some friends with youth girls at our fellowship.
*For our fellowship…our Babe is the leader and they are currently working on building a building rather than meeting in their house.
*That we would get some opportunities to connect with the schools in our area
*And we continue to keep you held up in His name! J
*That we would get some opportunities to connect with the schools in our area
*And we continue to keep you held up in His name! J
