Pics of Sibebe Christmas Party

Adding pieces to the nativity scene.


Just because the girls swim topless, does not mean I can slack on modesty.

Sibebe Christmas Party

The Sibebe Christmas party was so much fun! I think it is the highlight of my time in Africa thus far. We started off with ice cream and cookies, then one of the girls read the story of Jesus’ birth and about the wise men visiting. I gave pieces of a nativity set to some of the kids so that when we got to the part in the story that had to do with the character they had, they would add that character to the scene. I shared some pictures with them of my sister’s first grade class because they are going to be pen pals. Then we played games and went swimming in the river that we meet beside. After that we sang Christmas songs.

I know that ice cream is a rare treat for them. You should have seen their faces when I was opening the container. It was like Wiley Coyote craving to eat the Road Runner. They were patient though, that is until I told them they could go for seconds. Then there was a little pushing and shoving, but for the most part they are very well behaved kids. Also they were pleasantly surprised to find out that I was going swimming with them.

Pics of Youth Rally

Worship



Egg Races


Musical Chairs


Thami (pronounced Tommy) speaking

Manzini Youth Rally Recap

First off, thank you to everyone who prayed for this rally. It was really good. We had about 25-30 people who attended. Some people didn’t stay the whole time so it’s hard to get an exact number. We had planned for 50-60 youth so I was a little disappointed at first. However, now I think it was a good thing to have a smaller group. We had plenty of food, plenty of sleeping space, a smaller group of teenagers is easier to control, and I think the youth were able to get more out of the sessions.

The weather was weird for this time of year. These are the last couple weeks of spring so it should be hot, but it was rainy and really cold. Because of this everyone had to sleep inside the church building instead of the boys sleeping in the big revival tent, and outdoor games became indoor games.

The main theme for this youth rally was Purity, specifically sexual purity. Swaziland has the highest infection rate for HIV/AIDS so sexual purity is a necessary issue to address. We watched the movie “Beat the Drum.” It was filmed just a couple hours south of Swaziland and is about a Zulu boy’s travel to Joburg and how AIDS affects him and the lives of those he meets along the way. One of the speakers shared a couple of Country-Western style gospel songs sung in siSwati. I never thought I would ever hear anything like it, but he was really good and I enjoyed it a lot. The next morning I gave the morning devotion and the main verse I used was 1 Timothy 4:12, “Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, life, love, faith, and purity.” Actually, without meaning to, all four speakers mentioned this verse. The pastor at the Manzini Baptist Church, the church where the rally was held, gave a True Love Waits presentation and some of the youth preformed a skit.

We had indoor games which included egg races, bean bag toss, and musical chairs. Then we separated boys and girls and had times of discussion. During this time there was a Swazi speaker for each group who talked a little, but mostly left room for people to ask questions. I obviously sat in on the girls’ session. I couldn’t understand most of what was said, but I did notice that some of the women who also sat in on the session would answer questions for the girls. I think this is great because it allowed the older women to offer advice for the younger ones. Plus, topics like boyfriends and sex are not always discussed with a mix of younger and older women, so it was good for both age groups to share. The last session was about relating sexual purity and the Bible. Also, we worshipped in between sessions.

At church this morning I talked to three girls who were at the rally. They all said they enjoyed it. One said her favorite part was the girls’ discussion time, that she learned more about what it means to be pure, and that she is going to tell others about what she learned. Another said that she wouldn’t change a thing about the rally.

more pics from 40-40

Lusaka near the bus rank.

Jena and I may have been roughing it in the bush, but we still found a way to do pedicures one night.

Jena and I outside of the hut we stayed in for the home stay.

40-40 pics

Me and JoJo with our Zambian helper for Lusaka, Christine.

Left:Daisy, then me visiting a home for a DFA.

Me holding what, at the time, we believed to be a (dead) black mamba.

Vinnie bathing.

My 40-40 Experience

Well, 40-40 definitely was an experience. I went into it with a positive attitude. I was ready to be reunited with some friends from training in Richmond and I thought that it would be a fun experience. Now, looking back over the past month there are both good and bad memories. If I had the opportunity to do it over again I probably would not. It’s one of those things that you do only once.

For those of you who do not know what 40-40 is, let me explain. It gets its name because it used to be 40 days and 40 nights. It has since been shortened to 30 days and 30 nights. It is basically a mandatory month long orientation/training on African culture for all new missionaries in the CESA (Central, Eastern, and Southern Africa) Region. We spent 2 weeks in Lusaka, 10 days camping in the bush, 3 days at a home stay, and four days debriefing at a guest house near Lusaka. There were about 30 people that went through the program this time. Some would work with logistics, some would be out in the boondocks, some older, some younger, some married with children, some single. It was definitely more challenging for those who were older and those who had children. Now on to my adventure…

I liked Lusaka alright. We stayed at a seminary just outside of town. Some days we had lectures about different areas of African culture and different traditional beliefs. The main thing when did there was each day we had a different Daily Field Assignment (DFA). We were put in pairs and then given a Zambian helper/translator who would go out with us. We would take the public transportation of mini busses to different parts of Lusaka. The first day our assignment was just to observe. The next day we were supposed to have conversations to get to know more information about people. Some days we were supposed to ask about different forms of health care and diseases in the area. Other days we would share our testimonies and the Creation to Christ story.

I was paired up with JoJo and my Zambian helper was Christine. JoJo and her husband are going to be serving in Tanzania among college students. Christine took us to the township of Matero everyday. I got kind of tired of going to the same place every day, but it was a very large township so we were able to explore different parts of it. So, we did the DFAs in the mornings, went back to the seminary for lunch, then debriefed with the other groups. Some days other groups would come back with amazing stories about miraculous healings, dreams the Zambians have had, and, most excitingly, about people accepting Christ. JoJo and I talked about this and realized we had something in common: we never have those stories. We both said that we always attract either real strong Christians who are leaders in their church or we attract crazy people. Still, I celebrate that there were many won to faith in Christ Jesus.

Another thing I enjoyed about Lusaka was the ice cream. Also, if I did not like what was for dinner I could always eat cookies that we had for tea time. This may very well be the reason I was somehow able to gain weight during 40-40. Weigh more after camping in the bush? Weird, I know.

We took a 6 hour bus ride to Petauke, which is a small town out in the middle of the bush of Zambia. My favorite sign soon became “Ice Cold Coca Cola Sold Here.” It was HOT! We stayed in tents about 20minutes outside of town. They were nice tents. They also had set up a kitchen area. All toilets were like outhouses. Some of them had seats, but others were just a hole in the floor. To shower I would take my bucket to the well, pump water, carry my bucket to the shower area, pour the water from my bucket into the bucket in the shower, pull the rope on that went through a pulley and attached to the bucket, tie off the rope, and then turn the shower nozzle that was on the bottom of the bucket whenever I wanted water to come out. It was actually kind of neat. I could have used a kettle to heat up water over the fire for my showers, but since it was hot I preferred the cooler water.

For breakfasts we would usually have cereal, some kind of egg, some kind of meat, and bread. Lunches were most always local food. This nearly every day included nshima (white stuff that has no taste and has a consistency similar to mashed potatoes), chicken or beef, and cabbage in some form. Sometimes we had rice instead of nshima. This made me and many of the others happy! The Zambians love nshima though. I like it ok, just not everyday. It’s funny because every Zambian I asked “what is your favorite food?” Their answers were all “nshima.” I guess that’s a good thing because they eat it for almost every meal; I sure hope that they like it. It’s cheap and filling. Anyways, at dinner we usually had an attempt at more American type food. I loved it when it was someone’s birthday, because then we had dessert!

In Petauke we did the same type thing we did in Lusaka. We had DFAs and then would debrief in the afternoons. This time I was paired with Jena (she works in an AIDS clinic in Uganda and she is one of my dear close friends) and our Zambian helper was Daisy. One day when our DFA was about health and medicine my group and a few other groups visited traditional healers (aka witch doctors). It wasn’t how many of you are probably picturing it. There were no monkey heads on the walls or anything like that. The guy we visited was located in town in a normal looking building. He was dress in Western clothes and greeted us outside and welcomed us in. He prided himself on being the most famous traditional healer in the area. He had a big sheet on the wall that said something like “Zambian Traditional Healers Association” and it listed all the diseases on it. Most diseases were related to sex, but HIV, Polio, and Malaria were also listed. He even offers a love potion, but he said that he will not sell it to people who are going to use it for adultery. He says that he is a Christian and that he and his family go to church. At the same time he gives out charms to heal people. When I asked what makes a charm made of wood different from an ordinary piece of wood he said that he grinds up root from a certain tree and puts it in the charm. He kind of dodged my question. Actually, he avoided all our questions that had anything to do with anything spiritual. I remember seeing a container labeled amoxicillin too. This is a very clear example of syncretism in African religion. Also, he taped our whole conversation which I think is very weird. The people say that the witch doctors are much more expensive than the clinics, yet many people still go to them. One reason I think is because they can’t always pay money to the clinics, but the witch doctor will take payment by chickens or other goods.

I like camping if it’s for 2 or 3 days, but 10 days got really old. I was tired and frustrated by about day 5 of camping. One day I was so frustrated that I threw my bucket across the shower area. But a few days later we moved out of our tent and into a hut for the 3 days and 3 nights of home stay. Jena and I were paired up again. Some people stayed in the town and some stayed in the villages. We stayed in a village. We had a mud hut with a thatched roof all to ourselves. It was very cute actually. I could tell how much work they had put into fixing it up for us and I am still very appreciative of that. We were with a family (family includes the extended family on the father’s side) that had only two men, a few women, and lots of children. Jena and I both grew closest to the wife, Esna. She is only 23 and she has been married for about 6 years and has two children. She does so much for her family. I have so so much respect for her. I realize that this is an outsiders view, but the African women seems to work so much more than the African man. The man works in the fields, but his workload depends on the season. The woman cooks, cleans, does laundry, fetches water, takes care of the kids, etc everyday. Plus she also helps out in the fields. And she is shown little respect from her husband. I’m not one of those girls who is big on women’s rights either. Their children were Elizabeth and Vincent. Vinnie, as they called him, was also nicknamed “Mr. Trouble” because he was always getting into something like a typical 2 year old. Eliz was funny too. She loved to dance. There was also a 13 year old girl named Memory. I love her! She would go everywhere with us. The last two nights she even slept in our hut with us. Some things we did at the home stay include shelling groundnuts, fetching water, learning how to cook over fire, laundry, making home made peanut butter, hanging out and talking, and eating. They fed us plenty of food. Lots of nshima of course. The husband kept pressuring us to eat more, but nshima is so filling I couldn’t eat all the food they had served. I ate a lot of mangos too. They were so good.

We put rat poison out the first night. That first night was so hot! Jena and I shared a twin bed. There was a tarp hung on the ceiling so that dirt from the thatched roof wouldn’t fall down. The first night we laid there sweaty and terrified because of the heat and because we could hear a mouse crawling around on the tarp. I’m normally not scared of mice, but I don’t want them around me when I’m sleeping. We had a mosquito net hung and we tucked it under the mattress so that nothing could get in. I just didn’t want the dead mouse to fall and land on the net and hang over my face. It didn’t though. We did hear it die after it ate the poison. Lying in bed the first night Jena said “I wish we had a window.” I looked over at her and said “If you had one wish, that’s what you would wish for? A window?” We both laughed. We laughed a lot; we pretty much had to laugh. So, I experienced new things at the home stay. Some were not fun, but they are reality for the every day life of a rural African. I left the home stay with new friends and a better understanding of what everyday life is like for the rural African people. I know I’ve already said this, but it needs to be said again: I have so much respect for them.

After the home stay we had a 7 hour bus ride to a guest house an hour on the opposite side of Lusaka. We were kind of pampered there. There was a nice pool and we had our own rooms with air conditioning and tv. I was most excited about the indoor plumbing. We did debriefing there and had classes on the PILOT method of language learning. Our last full day there was Thanksgiving Day. It actually reminded me of Thanksgiving when I was a kid. It was hot, which I’m used to having warm Thanksgivings. We ate on the patio near the pool, which was like eating at the kids’ table outside on the back porch by the pool at my grandparents’ house. We didn’t have turkey, but we did have mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, banana pudding with real vanilla wafers, pumpkin pie-ish dessert, chicken, roast, green beans, and rolls. I was pleased. The next day I flew back to Joburg.

So, that is my 40-40 experience. There are many other stories I can tell, but there are too many to write. I can’t say that I liked 40-40, but it’s not like I flat out hated it either. It was just ok. I feel like it is more for those going into church planting and that it is about a week longer than it needs to be. I did learn while I was there. Also, there were 30-something professions of faith in Jesus while we were there. They seem to be legit too. How can you put a price tag on that?

Sibebe Pen Pals

Things at Sibebe are basically the same. I still go with Gogo every Wednesday (if the weather permits). The plan is to have a Christmas party in December with ice cream and I told the kids that I will go swimming with them. There is a river right there and the water has a steady flow so it should be safe to swim in. I just have to make sure I don’t swallow. Also, my older sister Kristy’s 1st grade class is going to be pen pals with some of the children from the Sibebe bible study. I have already chosen 3 boys and 3 girls and we will start the letters/emails process after I return from Zambia.

Hawane Bible Study

Things at Hawane are going real well. The church at Hawane is only about 1 ½ years old. I do a bible study with whatever children and youth want to come (whether they go to that church or to the primary school close by) on Fridays at 1pm. Right now there are about 10 each week. There are 5 girls who are loyal to come each week. Two of them I have grown extra close to – Khanyisile and Lindolihle. They are both in grade 7 and have very different personalities. Khanyisile is tall and very thin (I think thin partly because she sometimes goes without supper). She is kind of shy, but seems to be very studious. She is also the one that does most of the interpreting during the lessons. Lindolihle is a class clown. She was recently orphaned when her mom died on the first of September and now she and her younger sister live with her grandma. She told me that her grandma told her not to cry about her mom’s death. I worry about her sometimes, that she may look to boys to fill the void that the death of her parents left. One week we were talking about how Jesus said to turn the other cheek. At the end she asked “I thought that meant that if someone hits you on the cheek, then you could in turn hit them on the cheek.” I almost started to laugh because I thought she was just clowning around again. But once I saw she was serious I explained the verse and then she and 4 or 5 other girls were like “Oooohhh.” They seriously did not understand the meaning of the passage. That was a wake up call for me. I can’t ever assume that they have already heard a story or that they already understand something. If I do, then I may seriously confuse them.

With some of the girls from

bible study. I am leaning on Lindolihle.

Khanyisile

More pics from Government Hospital

Government Hospital

Every Thursday morning Julia and I go to the children’s wing at the government hospital in Mbabane. When Gogo is with us we visit with the moms who are there with their babies. However, we spend most of our time there in the abandoned children’s room. Right now there are 4 children. Siphiwe a girl who they think is around 12, Mxolisi a 10 year old boy, Rebecca (Julia gave her her English name and it caught on with the nurses) who is 6 months, and Themhlanga who is a cute little baby girl less than a month old. Siphiwe likes to walk down the hall and go into the rooms to where the other children and their moms are. She “circulates” the magazines. I use quotation marks because the magazines usually end up back in the same rooms they started in. But she’s so cute walking around holding my hand and leading me into the different rooms. Everyone knows her. And everyone knows she likes to dance. The first time I held Themhlanga she was only 3 days old. She was so tiny but had a full head of hair. The nurse said she had been abandoned in a dumpster. How sad. There doesn’t seem to be anything abnormal about her, so we’re guessing that it was probably a teen mom. One of our friends here, Kristen, is a missionary with Children’s Cup based out of Baton Rouge. She is leaving for the US in just a couple weeks, but is trying to adopt Themhlanga. She knows that the chances of adopting a baby in such a short amount of time aren’t good, but she tells us that she is trusting in the Lord and that she will be fine no matter what the turn out. Also, Menzi was discharged a while ago. I’m glad he’s better but I still miss him.

Dancing with Siphiwe

Mxolisi

Rebecca

Pictures

At Hawane





At Makhya Game Reserve

Netball Huddle at Youth Camp

Durban, Youth Camp, Safari, and More

September 10, 2007

Durban, Prayer Retreat, Youth Camp, and Makhya Game Reserve, Revivals, Hawane, and Other Prayer Requests

We planned to leave at 8am, but because of the recent generator theft we went to the police station at 8, so it was almost 10am by the time we left Mbabane. But no worries because we were off to Durban for a couple days of holiday and then a refreshing prayer retreat. We saw many animals on the trip. We passed some cows on the side of the road. It’s a good thing I slowed down because a cow stepped right out in front of me and I had to slam on breaks to not hit it. Also, I saw 6 monkeys at various times along the way, many ostriches, the usual farm animals, and even a giraffe by the highway soon after crossing the border into South Africa. In Durban we went to a couple different malls and enjoyed wireless internet. Also, one day Julia and I went to the beach and it was neat to see the Indian Ocean. Also, the last night we were there the Allen’s and Julia took me out for my birthday dinner.

The prayer retreat in Shelly Beach was amazing! It seemed to be a great time of spiritual refreshment for many of the other missionaries. Because I haven’t been on the field very long, I don’t think I was in need of being refreshed. However, it was a great way to start my term. A team from the US came to run the retreat. I realized that even after a month, I had already missed worshipping in English singing songs that I have a history with.

The night after we returned from South Africa a team from Washington, NC arrived. This team of 5 was a real joy to be around. They helped us run National Youth Camp. Camp was held at a school in Manzini. There were approximately 200 youth there. The first couple days were crazy for those of us working behind the scenes, but after that we were able to relax a little and enjoy camp with the youth. The first night Julia and I planned on sleeping at the school with the girl campers, but by the time we finished working it was 11pm and the rooms were either too crowded or already sleeping. We were kind of annoyed at that point and it wasn’t safe to drive all the way home that late, so we just slept in the truck. It was quite possibly the most uncomfortable night sleep I have ever had.

The next day was my birthday. I turned the big 2-2. I told Julia “I’m a make (magay, Swazi word for mother or middle aged woman) now. I’m not a sisi (see-see, Swazi word for sister or young female) anymore.” I’m not going to lie. I’ve had better birthdays. But this time wasn’t about me. This time was about helping the youth grow closer to Jesus and honoring God through that. In fact, that night a girl went to the front to announce that she had accepted Christ and become a believer. Some fun times at youth camp involve learning how to play net ball (like basketball except you can’t dribble or move with the ball and there is no backboard), cheering on my Swazi friends Liswe and Samonga as they played soccer, hanging out with Jane and Nthombi, and watching some of the youth perform a skit that I wrote.

Camp went from Thursday evening through Sunday afternoon. The next day the team treated us to a safari at Makhya game reserve. It was sooooooo much fun! I saw all kinds of animals. I have wanted to go on an African safari for as long as I remember.

Starting that Monday night we attended revival services at Pinneal Baptist and Peace Baptist churches. Different men from the team preached at the services. It is neat to see the people dancing and singing and praising God. It is different then the churches I’ve attended in the US, that’s for sure. Throughout the week more and more people attended. The first night Peace had maybe 30 people. There was over 100 by the end of the week. Also at Peace, 33 people (11 from Peace and 22 from Ensinza, a near by church) came forward at the end to say that they had become believers. It is impossible for us to know whose decisions were sincere, but pray that they were. Pray for strength for these new believers. Pray that they will get involved with a bible based church and not get involved in African Zionism (the largest religion here and aims to mix Christianity and African Traditional Religion).

On Friday the team helped at Hawane church. Steve does a Bible study there on Friday afternoons which is open to all adults, but only women go. I am starting a children’s bible study there at the same time. There is no other event for the children there except for Sunday church services. It is a great time and location too. The church is right beside a primary school (grades 1 – 8) and school gets out early on Fridays. So, all these children will be walking by right as bible study is starting. I am super excited about this. Please pray for God’s guidance with this new bible study.

Other prayer requests include the children at the government hospital, especially Siphiwe who is a girl in the abandoned wing and Menzi who is a young by there that I have grown closest too. Menzi is always smiling and laughing. Pray for the future youth rallies for the HhoHho and Manzini regions, and are still in the planning stages. Also, many of the churches do not have pastors and others look like they are on the verge of losing pastors. It is hard to find men that are even qualified morally to pastor a church. Also, pastors must be at least bi-vocational because very little money is collected in the offerings on Sundays.

I know that I put a lot of info into one update. I will try to send them out more frequently. Don’t forget that my updates are posted on my blog too as well as various pictures. Thank you all for your support.

Durban Pictures

Monica and I at my birthday dinner.
Julia's and my favorite thing about Durban, the wireless at Mug and Bean restaurants.

My Most Eventful Day Yet

So, today was definately my most eventful day yet. First, Julia and I went to Pinneal Church. This was the first time I have gone to that church. We were supposed to do something with the youth after church so I had a lesson and Julia had activities planned. Well, during the singing, the pastor called Julia out of church and said that he wanted us to "give the word of God" today. When Julia came back in and told me I was surprised. I should have expected the unexpected because hello, this is Swaziland. So Julia shared a few verses and then I "preached." I had someone read from Luke ch 1 and compared and contrasted Zachariah and Mary's reactions to the angel telling them about having a son.

Then, this evening we noticed someone had broken into our upper storage and stolen 2 generators. So, we had to file a police report. They were a couple of Barney Fifes. It was funny. I'm not planning on seeing those generators again.

We leave for Durban, South Africa tomorrow morning. We'll be there for two days then off to Shelly Beach for a prayer retreat. I'm excited to see the Indian Ocean. Please pray for safe travel and that the prayer retreat will be beneficial for both the other missionaries and me.

Sabebe

Location of Sabebe bible study


Here come some of the children


gorgeous waterfall right by where we meet



Me on the bridge waiting for the kids to come


Gogo waiting for the kids to come

Mi Casa

My bedroom:

the truck (aka baki) i drive:

the dogs I inherited spotty and noel:

Living room:

Front of property:

Back porch and view of mountains:

July 20 – August 11

Key:
Julia - roommate and job partner
Steve and Monica Allen - supervisors and next door neighbors
Lacey Allen - Steve and Monica's 3 year old daughter
Maria - language tutor and translator who lives on the property (I call her gogo which is like another word for grandma)


When I first arrived in Swaziland the conversation went a little like this. "Mbabane is only a few minutes from here." A few minutes later, "This is our road. Uh-oh, it looks like there's a fire. I think our phone lines are still on the ground. If those lines burn, it'll be 5-6 months before we have phone or internet again. "So, Julia and I rush to the house to get the fire extinguisher while my supervisor Steve set up sticks to serve as temporary phone poles. So, the first time I saw the house I would spend the next two years in was a blur. I gave Monica, Steve's wife, a quick hug and a "hi. How are ya? It's nice to finally meet you." and then hit the road to go save the phone line. Now, for all of you guys out there who thing that I'm just a young female overreacting, this fire was within feet of the grounded phone line and it was kind of big. Now, for all of my moms out there, the fire wasn't that big, it was not at all dangerous, and I am doing fine now. I have it on video if you don't believe me.

I love going to the Sabebe Bible study. It is a children's Bible study in a rural area. The location is like something out of a movie. We pull off the side of the road, walk down to a little creek that produces a near by 20ft waterfall, sit on the rocks there, and watch the children walk down hill from their small houses up the mountain and then cross a wooden plank bridge to come sing songs and learn about God. My translator/neighbor/language teacher/friend, Maria (I call her gogo), has run this Bible study for years. Really, I just help her. The first time I went Maria lead worship with the children, Julia and I introduced ourselves, and then Maria gave the story and prayed. The past two times were similar, however, I gave the lesson (Gogo translated) and taught them a new song at the end. I taught them a song I learned in Jamaica (the one that goes "I've got the Spirit in my hands and it's keepin' me alive"). They seemed to really like it; I think because you get to move around during it. It was so much fun. I will only teach at this bible study every once in a while though, because it is a study Maria has done for years and I need to find new studies to start.

Church leadership is not the same here as it is in the states. The churches are mostly made up of women and children, so there is no male leadership. Many churches are currently without pastors, so you can forget about things like music leaders and youth pastors. Therefore, there are not always events directed for the youth or children. Church on Sunday is not enough for them when they are growing up with so many temptations to engage in African traditional religion.

The children and youth are very well behaved. They are not like any other young people I've ever been around. They sit quietly during the lessons, raise their hands to answer questions, and all participate in singing, games, etc. That makes my job a lot easier. I am concerned that their responses may sometimes just be regurgitations of what they've already been told, but hopefully they will learn new things too. I remember having to chase the kids around in Jamaica to make sure they did not run off into the road or hit other kids with the jump rope or playground balls, and I am glad that I do not face those same challenges. I do, however, face new challenges. Language has got to be the biggest, then culture and the fact that no matter how hard I try to fit in, I will still be seen as an outsider. I will never be completely accepted.

I have recently finished my two weeks of language and culture training. Some parts of the language are easy, but some are really hard. For instance, it is pretty easy to read the language because the vowels make the same sounds as they do in Spanish. Also, anytime I see a "c" I make one type of click and any time I see a "ch" I make a different type of click. My mouth gets tired, but it's really not too difficult to make the sounds. On the other hand, the words are so long. The average length of an everyday word is probably 8 letters. Many are much longer than that. It's funny because I get excited that I was able to memorize and then correctly spit out 5 or 6 syllables, but then I've only said one word in a simple five word sentence. But I am still a beginner and I am happy that most people in Mbabane speak English too.

Now, on to driving. I'm getting pretty good. I never had to drive a standard vehicle back home, but I was able to practice on an old jeep the week before I left. Recently, I have made a few trips without stalling out once! Driving on the left side of the road isn't bad either. The hardest thing is driving with these crazy drivers, but it's better than all the other countries I've visited. Right now I share an older Toyota truck with Julia, but someday we're supposed to get a car too. That way we can split up and cover more ground.

All and all, I have been ok. I've struggled some, but God is really teaching me. It can be hard being away from everyone whom I am close too. I was thinking about all the changes that have happened for me lately and the excitement, yet struggles, that come along with adjusting to these changes. At home, God was my strength. He really was, because if He wasn't I would have fallen flat on my face. But, I also had you guys reading this. I had my family, friends, and other loved ones whom I have grown up knowing. Now, I don't have you here. I am forced to lean on only God. I was blessed with having you before, but I can grow so much more now, now that God is the only one here to keep me standing.