Practicing headers.



Look at the boy who is next in line. He looks terrifired.



On weekends the girls have their lines for drills and the children have their own lines on the side.

Gcinile and her friends Sikhaniso and Hlelewe.



Wendy trying out the sleeping bag.



Veiw of the homestead from the top of the mountain.



Our shadows on the hike.

May Newsletter and Prayer Requests

Hitting the 1 year mark

I’ve heard it said that a journeyman’s second year is much better than the first. That the first year is about adjusting and figuring out your job, and the second year you have a better idea of what your doing and can better enjoy the job. So far, even though it’s only been one month into my second year, I agree that the second year is much more enjoyable than the first. So, as you are guessing, May 6 I hit the one year mark in my term. May 5 was my one year anniversary for graduating PBA.

Homestead stay

One Saturday I spent the night at a family’s homestead. I stayed partly for fun and partly because it was close to the church I was going to the next morning. Their homestead consisted of two buildings. One was the kitchen and it was also where the family’s only son slept. The other building had a sitting room (where the 3 daughters and I slept), a bathroom (literally an empty room used to take basin baths), and the parents’ bedroom. I stayed with the Gama family. The mom and children go to Peace Baptist Church, but the husband is a polygamist and leans towards the traditional Swazi beliefs. The husband is a fireman in Mbabane and the wife, Wendy (who I adore), teaches preschool at the local church. They have 3 daughters, Lando (15), Lihle (13), and Gcnile (10). They have one son who is twin to Gcinile. Nearby is the husband’s family’s homestead. That night I went over with the girls to visit their grandma. She was sitting on a grass mat near the fire under a mud hut. The uncle did not know that I was visiting and so he almost fell off his stool when he saw me walk in. He tested me by offering me something similar to boiled nuts, but the joke was on him. I ate those things up, they’re good.

That night when we were getting ready for bed Wendy showed me pictures from her album. It is a real treat to have pictures and so I know it was special for me to see pictures of the family. As we were laying out the blankets we were to sleep on I opened up the sleeping bag I brought. I didn’t know what the sleeping situation was going to be like and I didn’t want to assume they would have extra blankets for me. They were so amazed at the sleeping bag and the inflatable pillow that goes inside it. I have to admit, the inflatable pillow impresses me too. Wendy and the girls asked questions like “how does it work?”, “how do you lay in it?”, and “do you put blankets inside it?” Wendy wanted to try it out so I got a picture.

Sunday morning we woke up with the sun almost. The girls took me hiking up the top of the mountain that they lived on. Also, I ate sour porridge for breakfast (which I do not recommend). Wendy had told me the night before that she wanted to give me a chicken. I only saw a few chickens so I told her that she didn’t need to give me one, but she insisted and said that they had more but they just weren’t in the coop. I was assuming that they were going to give it to me live. I have no problem killing a chicken if I am starving and that’s my only means for meat, but I’m not going to chop a chicken’s head off when I can just go to the store. So I decided to keep it as a pet and began to think of places to keep it so the dogs could not get it. I saw Lando carrying my new pet chicken when it was almost time for me to go. A few minutes later I went into the kitchen and there was my chicken, headless and Lando had blood on her. I wasn’t too upset about the loss of my new pet. I took it home and fried it.

Soccer team

I have mixed feeling about the girls’ soccer team. There are about 10 girls who are serious about it and want to have a team. But I need at least 12, and would prefer 15. Some practices I’ll have 20 girls. Then the next practice I might have between 8 and 12. Sometimes we practice at a community field and not at the high school. When were at Ntsintsa’s community field local children come and play along, so I set up their own drills on the side. The sweetest thing happened last week. As I was dropping some girls off, I past the corner where the Ntsintsa field is. When I was first learning my way around I knew where to turn for Ntsintsa Baptist Church because of this corner. I called it the corner of the begging children because the kids would always stand and yell out for sweets and money. Well, last week when I passed they started shouting “Kimba! Kimba!” I aksed the girls in the truck with me if they were shouting my name and they said yes. I almost got a little teary eyed right then. I was like, “they’re so sweet. They’re not sweet when they’re constantly trying to steal soccer balls, but right now they’re so sweet.”

Prayer Requests

We are having a meeting this Saturday, June 14 with the national youth committee to, hopefully, finalize plans for youth camp. Also, June 21 will be the national youth leaders retreat. There are two youth leaders from each church and so all are invited to come for the weekend for leadership training. Also, please continue to pray that God will work through me while I’m here. Really, I guess I should say pray that I will continue to be willing to let God work through me. I realize that my time in Swaziland is limited and I do not want to become useless, or become busy with many things but it not be the things God wants me to do, so therefore be busy but still useless becomes I am not busy doing God’s will. Pray that I will take time to stop and listen to the roosters crow, smell the bus exhaust in town and the cattle in the country, to watch the sunsets, to enjoy the flowers, to smile and give a friendly word to those I meet, and to take captive every moment God has given me here.

Bible Study at Sympathy Church

Sympathy Baptist Church is a very rural church. It does not even have a building. The people gather in a small shack used for grinding corn. On Tuesday afternoons I do a children's bible study there. One week, the girls from soccer practice decided to all ride with me to the bible study. It was a very blessed time as the older youth played with the children of that area.





In the background is the bilding where the church meets on Sundays.

Easter in Swaziland '08

Watching "The Passion of the Christ" at a homestead
at Hawane.



The children made cross necklaces at Easter services.



The Hawane youth choir at Easter services.

Peanut

Lacie and Peanut on the hammock.

Vacation to Egypt

In front of the Cairo Museum.

March and April

Back:
I saw the doctor in Joburg and he said the scar on my back is healing normally. I am able to run now and, even though I am technically not supposed to play sports for another week, I played ultimate Frisbee on Sunday and everything was ok. There is absolutely no pain.

Easter Services:

There was a good turnout of about 200 people. Julia and I had the children for at least 2 hours each day. We used a combination of stories and drama to tell of Christ’s death and resurrection. We also taught them some new games like 4 corners.

Some doctrinal confusion was revealed during the services, for instance speaking in tongues. I think as a result of watching televised Pentecostal services)

Meetings:

The morning after Easter services we left for Joburg for a big regional meeting (AMTM). There were over 500 missionary adults and children there with the IMB from all over southern Africa. The meetings were surprisingly interesting and helpful to my ministry. It was nice to here about what things work for other people and what doesn’t so that I can learn from their mistakes. After the AMTM was single’s retreat. This was for all the single missionaries from the 20-somethings to the 60+ group. I was just excited to see my friend Jena who works in Uganda. After a week and a half of living out of a suitcase I was ready to come back to Swaziland.

Peanut:

The day we left Joburg I fell in love. His name is Peanut and he is about 9in high and about a foot and a half long. He’s a reddish brown 3 year old dachshund. A missionary family is going stateside for a few months and was giving him away. Julia and I jumped at the offer.

School Break:

School break starts April 18 and lasts about 3weeks. Weekends and school breaks are my busiest times since that’s when the students are not in school. I’m trying to figure out what to do during this school break. I’m still in the planning stages of partnering with a high school to starting a girl’s soccer team. I know how Kingdom values can be easily incorporated into sportsmanship. I’m really hoping and praying that this soccer team works out. Athletics (maybe not so much soccer, but that’s what is big here) is an area where God has gifted me and I want to use that gift for Him.

Also, lately I’ve been looking into a “Reach for Life” book to see if the 40 lesson study that accompanies the book would be a good thing to do in Swaziland. Please pray that God will make clear what He wants me to do in my future ministry, specifically school break.

Finally:

I’ve entered another phase of homesickness lately. I think mostly because I’m missing out on my older sister’s wedding planning: important stuff, like picking out her wedding dress, that I always thought that I would be there for.

Pics of Christmas and MK Camp

Swazi team on Christmas Day


Me decorating our Christmas tree


The Power Puffins. Don't we look intimidating?

Christmas, New Years, and Prayer Requests

News letter on Christmas and New Years

My Christmas was really good. Christmas Eve a bunch of people went to a couple’s house who I’m friends with. The wife goes to a lady’s Bible study I attend. So, there were a lot of people from the study along with their families and some neighbors. The food was good and I had fun. Christmas Day Julia and the Allen’s came to the house and we had biscuits and gravy. Then Julia and I started opening presents. All of them were from her family. I still haven’t received the boxes my family sent me. I thought it was nice that her family sent me stuff. It was like lotions and other little things, but it was still thoughtful. Then the whole team had lunch at our house. I was busy cooking even though everyone brought food. I made a big pot of mashed potatoes, salad, and corn. It was a lot of fun. I liked having people of all different ages, including kids, because then it was more like a family atmosphere. We did a gift exchange.

The day after Christmas I left for Joburg. I worked MK (missionary kid) camp about an hour west of Joburg. There were about 60 kids whose parents are missionaries with our company. They came from all over Southern Africa including Madagascar and other Indian Ocean islands. I stayed in a room with seven 13 year old girls. Half of which were incredibly boy crazy, but they were so much fun. We had some late nights and I was completely exhausted by the end of the 4 days, but I loved every minute of it. I’ve only gone to basketball camps, one volleyball, and once 4-H camp. So, it was like church camp/ summer camp for me. I had to keep reminding myself that it was MK camp, not Kimber camp. I played sports with them and everything. (By the way, you can stop laughing about me going to 4-H camp. It was cool at the time.) My sport’s team was the Power Puffins (I didn’t choose the name). We never won an event, but we did win the spirit hippo one day. I had to suppress my competitive side a bit. Apparently not everyone is as set on winning as I am (that might be an understatement).

I asked around and there aren’t any Christmas or New Year traditions that are much different from how they are celebrated in the US. One person told me that they got the holidays from the British, so they celebrate them much like the British. However, there are a few things that are different. Christmas seems to be celebrated more like Thanksgiving – a family day with feasting. Some teenage girls I talked to that live in a semi-rural area were excited about getting to have rice and meat. Easter is the big Christian holiday (as it probably should be in the US). For Christmas, people do exchange gifts, but it’s on a much smaller scale then how Americans do it. There are little decorations too. As you know, Christmas and New Years occur in the summer time here, so braai’s (aka bbq’s) are big on those days. It seems that they are both family holidays with good food and dancing. Also, I think that the ways the Swazi people celebrate these holidays also depends on how westernized they are. Those in the cities are more likely to have a Christmas tree and get more into presents. Many of the Christians go to church on Christmas and later meet to pray in the New Year as well. There is a small influence of Santa Claus. He is known as Father Christmas and is popular mostly with the whites from South Africa.

Also, the church I attended the Sunday before Christmas had a special party. They borrowed a large tent, had a decorated Christmas tree, did a nearly church wide gift exchange ( I was elected to stand up front and call out (struggle through) the names on the gifts), then had a huge braai afterwards. The bbq chicken was so good.

One more thing. I doubt this is the case everywhere, but in one area this happened. Some of the people in the community committed to giving a little bit of money each month to a pot. Then a couple days before Christmas someone went to town and bought a whole bunch of food so that each family would be able to have a good Christmas meal. I thought that was neat and smart, because a lot of times the Swazis are not good at saving money.
Sorry it took me so long to get this out. I’ve been very busy lately. Please pray for the following:

- Monica and her pregnancy
- Safe travels for me as I take vacation in Cairo Feb 10-21
- My doctors appointment on Feb 21

As always you can view pics on my blog Kimber-swazitales.blogspot.com.
Thanks, Kimber