I'm offically a Swazi. . . my new name is Jabulani

I think I’m going to cancel my flight home and just stay here in Swaziland. I love Swaziland and Children’s Cup way too much to leave. . .

A few weeks ago I went with a team to “Lomahasha” a rural community about two hours away from Mbabane (where I stay). Our purpose for traveling to Lomahasha was to do power camps in three care points. Power camp is very similar to Vacation Bible School we did games, crafts, snacks, Bible stories and many other activities. My personal responsibility was to work games. I wasn’t too crazy about the idea at first, playing games in the middle of the blistering sun. But after the first group came to our station to play I was confident I was right where I needed to be. We played many different games with a parachute. My favorite game was the “Lion game”. All the kids would sit on the ground around the parachute and cover their feet with the parachute. Then all the children were given strict instructions that they can’t look under the parachute no matter what happens. :-) After all feet are under the parachute I would pretend I was a lion and I would go under the parachute and pull the kids under the parachute. They would all start laughing so hard as they wait in anticipation if they will be next to pulled under. But while I’m pulling them under there is another teacher walking around the parachute trying to “save” the kids from the hungry lion. The kids would scream, “Help! The lion has me” and the teacher would run to the rescue. It was a great game all the kids LOVED. After playing the game we would explain the significance behind it. You see the lion represented the devil. He wants to devour us and to hurt us. And when the devil comes to try to get us if we call on Jesus (the other teacher) he will come and rescue us.

This past Saturday I had the incredible opportunity to build a mud house. It was a dive straight into Swazi culture. We dug dirt from the earth until there was a huge pile of dirt next to the structure where the house was being built. Then we would go downhill and fetch water from a stream. We would put the huge jugs on our heads and carry the water uphill and mix the water with the dirt. We mixed the dirt and the water making mud then we threw the mud on this stick structure.

If you have been following my blog you will know that some of the locals call me “cheese boy”. Well after working on the house this day one of the guys said, “You are no longer a cheese boy but a true Swazi. We must now give you a Swazi name.”

Someone suggested, “I think he should be called Jabulani.”

Then others said, “Yabo! (Yes!) he is defiantly a Jabulani” (Jabulani means happiness)


I have a prayer request I would like all my readers to help me with:



Since I’ve been in Swaziland I’ve been hounded by many, many people. They ask me can you help me with money here. . . or can you help me financially here. . . It’s gotten quite overwhelming to say the least. I can’t go to town without being stopped at least 5-6 times. I want to help people but giving a hand out isn’t always the best way to help someone. Also I don’t have enough resources to help everyone I see with a need. If you can join with me as a pray to the Lord for discernment I would greatly appreciate it. I need all the help I can get. 

Overall I’m having a great time loving and serving the amazing people of this beautiful country. I really could see myself living here long term!

a story can change everything

(Please know that I haven’t shared the name of my friend in this blog. I want to protect his identity. He gave me permission to share his story with you.)

One of my fellow Swazi friends just shared his story with me. I have to say after hearing it I find myself broken once again.  This story is his reality. It’s not a book were he can quickly flip a few pages and see what’s next but each day he lives in faith and trust things will get better. His faith encourages and humbles me. Let me share his life’s story with you. . . 

This is a pineapple field i saw on the side of the road. 

It all started when he told me that Thursday his aunt passed away. He said, “I wonder if my mom even knows her sister died.”  Out of curiosity I asked, “Where is your mom? Why wouldn’t she know?” To answer this question he had to open the book of his life and read the story from the very beginning.

 He read, “You see Brandon my mom was a good woman and a hard worker. But for whatever reason my dad abused her and us. So she left to get away from him, she moved to South Africa. And since we lived in rural Swazi I never really had the opportunity to go to school. One day a woman saw my daily life and asked me, “If you ever had the opportunity to go to school would you ever go?” I answered, “Of course I would I want to make something of myself.” Brandon I thank god for this NEW MOM that took me in and let me stay at her place. She let me stay with her and her children and she even paid my school fees. She was so good to me but her children weren’t so nice to me though they kept telling me “you’re gonna fail. You are never gonna make it all the way through school you’re so far behind.” But I have nothing against them. I forgave them.  My NEW MOM would get very upset when she saw her kids treat me that way.”

I have known this particular person for quite some time but I never knew this about him. I never knew his story.  The crazy thing is he isn’t done we are only half way through it.  Let’s continue . . .

“Some thought I was only going to school to cause trouble. The teachers didn’t really accept me. But over time they started to see I really just want to learn. So they started treating me slightly better. Let me tell you about the time our school was taking a trip to Durban. We needed 1,500 Rand to go ($193). Well I didn’t have the money so I wasn’t going. I was ok with not going I didn’t have to go. All the other kids were so excited about going. They would come up to me saying, “We’re going to Durban! We’re going to Durban!” Kind of teasing me. Then two days before the trip my teachers pulled me aside.  They told me since I’ve been doing so well in school and staying out of trouble they wanted to provide me with the funds to go on the trip.  But even with the trip cost taking care of, I still didn’t have the funds for food for the trip. The teachers went a step further and gave me the needed funds for food for the trip. All I could do after this was thank God. I was so happy! Brandon God has been faithful through it all. He is all I really have. It can get tough and hard at times and I just cry. But God will come and comfort me through in those times.”

The longer I’m (Brandon now) here in Swaziland the more I’m seeing everyone has a story, everyone including myself. These stories don’t always have the happily ever after ending. In fact we don’t know how our story will end. However there is one thing I do know and its:

 Matthew 6:33   

“Seek first the kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you all you need.”

I love this picture

 

I’m also realizing that being a Christian doesn’t mean things are always easy. There is no “become a Christian and things will always be great Gospel.” No, sometimes God asks use to walk through a season of suffering. And in those times it’s tough and hard it seems “like we are walking through the valley of the shadow of death.” There is good news even in that season of our life. The good news is we are just walking through we aren’t camping out in the valley we are just walking through it. We just need to trust God while we are walking through, for He is surly walking with us through it although He might be very quite.

I share stories like with you because I want others to see what reality is for some people. So we can see we are so blessed and at times we don’t even know it. We must thank God for our blessings and pray for others that are walking through circumstances that may be difficult. We must pray that they will have strength to preserve through life’s difficulties. Pray for peace in the middle of the chaos and confusion. Pray that they will never give up on hope or on Jesus.