As I've had many hours to think, there's a few things I've had some time to ponder and process, this one may be a little long, but I've got to get this out...
First, the last day I was talking to M (one of the young ladies I wrote about earlier) and we were talking about watering the garden... They now have 2 water tanks there so I asked how much does it cost to fill them... 300 rand... roughly $50... My immediate response (which thankfully didn't come out of my mouth) was "oh, that's not too bad."
Really Sharla? Think that one through for a minute... The average income in Swaziland is $1/day... So to fill the water tanks, one would have to work 50 days... basically 2 months, just to have easier access to water... Otherwise they carry it from the cow's pond... A pond that the cows walk in, poop in... You get the picture... We carried water from that pond... My container was about 3/4 full... I don't know how they do it time after time...
Sometimes they can afford to pay for the water truck, but the truck doesn't come... For the most part Swaziland is dry... Maybe 2-3 months of a rainy season, but that's it...
Now in Swaziland, with water, they could have almost a year round growing season, the climate there is wonderful... but without water, nothing grows (wow... is there a spiritual parallel in that!)... And when nothing grows, they have nothing to eat... They can't feed themselves, much less orphans in their community who have no one to provide for them...
Is there a solution? YES... A bore hole (basically a well)... would be a start to changing their lives...
Second, when I was there last year, the pastor showed us plans for a church he would love to build... I admit, I had a hard time with that... starving children and you want to build a church? But really, he's got a visionary spirit... He doesn't want to just build a church, but something that can be used as a conference center and rented for meeting space... You see, the new Swazi national airport just opened up nearby... So often there is a need for conference space... In addition, the schools are often looking for a larger place to meet... It makes so much sense...
But God did something that convicted my heart on this trip... He made it rain... And while it rained, I stood in their current church, trying to find shelter... This is their church...
If you go to church, does your church look like this? Do you have a hard time staying dry? Or warm? Or cool? Are you worried that your church might cave in on you? Do you sit on wooden benches with no backs? Or nice chairs/pews? Do you have any wooden benches that are balancing on cinder blocks?
I needed the rain to wash my self-righteous heart and show me what it's like to walk in their shoes for a while...
Finally, on the five hour bus drive from Swaziland to Johannesburg, Mr. K (the father of the family that served with us at the same church...) told us about a conversation that he had with some of the young men in the community... Really special young men who have hopes and dreams, who are so smart and wise, and yet have no opportunities to improve their lives because of a wretched economy and a political system that thrives on bribery...
Well, Mr. K asked them about HIV and found that they had not been tested because they were afraid of the results... HIV has a terrible stigma attached to it... They don't understand that ARV's really can help them... There is a hopelessness associated with it that is destroying this country... Why dream? Why work hard? Why fight? If you're just going to die?
The average life expectancy in Swaziland is 29 1/2... I can hardly stand to write this next part... These young men that touched the hearts of my sons... Who made me laugh and smile... Who became family in 3 short days... They are all around 24... If they are HIV positive, and if they don't get help, they will become a statistic... Good minds... hard workers... so many gifts and abilities... wasted...
I have no doubt that someday God will hold Americans accountable for how we wasted His blessings... But I have to wonder, will He also hold us accountable for how we didn't at least try to help others make the most of the gifts/talents they had been blessed with?
I don't know what the answer is... I know it's not more money just thrown at them that provides a temporary bandaid... But maybe it's some resources that help them overcome the most basic obstacles... Maybe it's business people who can come alongside them, stepping into their culture and discovering how to generate income...
Maybe it's a bore hole that will enable them to water their crops... a few more fruit trees... seedlings... that can will enable them to grow extra crops to sell... to buy concrete blocks to build a conference center....to produce more income that will eventually enable them to build the children's home they dream of... I don't know, but life... spiritual, as well as physical, starts with a small seed... God can do alot with something small... He is the God of the impossible!
2 comments:
Yes, He is the God of the impossible! I pray that every set of eyes who read this and feel a tug on their heart will think about what a few dollars can do for those precious people. A few dollars buys another tree, a few dollars all put together brings water to them. The water(bore hole) changes a village, it changes their lives completely. When Jesus said, "Feed my sheep", He did not equivocate, it was a command. Trees, seedling, and water "Feed His sheep".
Processing these past 10 days staggers the heart.
Love to you and to our friends.
Mom
Sharla,
I love this post because I am so convicted. I want our family to be able to help in some way but I can only cry at His feet and pray for God to raise up the labourers and the resources. He knows what needs to be done and how and who and you are right, with God all things are possible!!
Please keep sharing!
Naomi
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