Mon 060826

Morning view out of the window in the room Denise and I are sharing.

Denise was unfortunately not feeling well this morning and stayed behind in the room today. 

Laura and Ndumiso at breakfast in the common area. Eggs were made to order and a buffet of fresh fruits, breads, etc also was available.

View out the window of the breakfast room. There is an irrigation canal for the sugar cane plantation immediately behind our "yard". 

Front of the villa where we are staying.

Our first stop this morning was to pick up Jabulile at her house in Matata City (which she is currently renting out and living in the house to the back of this one)

waiting to load Jabu's cooler into our van

After picking up Jabu, we are driving again...Sugar cane fields are burned, then harvested.

We stopped here to pick someone up. This is a small market next to a gas station. Looks like there is cell phone repair, shoe repair and vegetables for sale all right here.

An interesting seat. 

Next we went to this government center

to meet and visit with Mr. Mabaso, who is an elected government official for his area. Eswatini is divided into four main regions - Hhohho, Lubombo, Manzini, and Shiselweni. We are currently in the Lubombo Region, which is in turn divided into 11 subregions. The subregion we are in has 5 smaller regions, and Mr. Mabaso was elected to advocate for his smaller region, on the water commission.  He has done so effectively, in a variety of ways as we shall see.

Outside we also met his son, and gave him a ride with us as well. (The double yellow reflective tape on the pants is the uniform of those who work in the sugar cane fields.)

More introductions outside the building.

The drive to Mr. Mabaso's house started out quite foggy.

His house was about 8 kilometers back from the main road, in a rural area (bumpy dirt roads). We are standing in front of Mr. Mabaso's house, and he is in the foreground.

View out of his front gate 

His house is part of a "family compound, with other smaller dwellings as well.

Heeley Mabaso (Mr. Mabaso's) sister shaking hands with Anita.

Anita, Nobeela (youth who sews clothes to sell and also received money from the Original Development Fund to start a liquid soap/detergent business. Also was able to purchase a bus so she can sell her product in other towns), and Jabulile.

First we went back to see Mr. Mabaso's garden. Some of us rode in the pick up truck. 

Some of us walked.

It is a sizable garden plot in which he grows beans,

squash, watermelon, potatoes and other vegetables.

Mr. Mabaso with Nobeela.

Jabulili at the top of a hill which leads down to the creek and pump. Water is pumped up from the creek to irrigate the fields, and youth are employed to water the fields  3 days a week, by hand. (His next project is to work on a drip irrigation system.)

This is the creek (water source for the fields)

Here we are, walking back from the field. 

In the distance is the primary school that Mr. Mabaso advocated for, and got the funding approved for through his role on the "city council". When he was a child, living where he still lives, he had to walk 8 kilometers down to the main road in order to go to school and another 8 kilometers back home at the end of the day. This new school is closer for the children of his community. Also, he is just breaking ground for a high school (with another public funds allocation).

Pastor (M-full-dee'see in Siswati) and Jeff by some tires that Mr. Mabaso uses to dam up the creek in the rainy season in the hopes that some more soil might deposit onto his land. 

Here we are getting ready to leave the garden and go back to the house. This is one of the youth who work in the garden. 

Here are some goats that Mr. Mabaso is starting to raise. The sand will be used to make concrete blocks for a feeding area and also a small shelter for the goats. Mr. Mabaso made it clear that nothing goes to waste on his farm. Whatever vegetation is left from the crops after harvesting is used to feed his animals.

There was running water to wash hands for lunch!

A chicken and several chicks scurry by.

Lunch was on Mr. Mabaso's porch. 

We all sat in a circle and went around the circle introducing ourselves . The gentleman on the end is Babe Lomba, a farmer who depends on rain (no irrigation system). There were several youth there who Mr. Mabaso is helping by allowing them to work in his garden. Gelagomatu is a 28 year old man who earned a metric certificate in South Africa. He wanted to be a nurse, then a doctor, but didn't get in. Now he works in Mr. Mabaso's fields. Mr. Mabaso introduced him to Mr. Nelson who is training him for carpentry. On the far end in the picture below is Sleezo Stanlo, who completed form 5 (high school), then went to carpentry school. Right now he is renting his tools, but he wants to own his own tools. Mr. Mabaso encouraged him to present a proposal to the National Youth Council to receive mentoring and a youth grant. There is also a youth revolving fund (loan program) he may apply for. Mr. Mabaso strives to connect the youth with the resources and mentoring needed to allow them to start their own businesses.   There was also a 52 year old man (Petsku)  whose child went abroad to learn the chicken business, and now their chicken business is doing well. Mr. Makabula, a pastor, was also there. His son received $45 from the government for farming and irrigation.

Jabulile at the lunch table. They had prepared quite a lot of food for us, including both fried chicken and a slaughtered goat. 

Jabulile is a parish nurse who trained with Anita. She also connects youth to people in the community who can mentor them. She sang for us "The Lord lifts up".

some turkeys across from Mr. Mabaso's house. 

After lunch we visited some more

Every now and then someone would go by on the dirt road in front of his house.

some donkeys near his house.

Jeff, Laura and me enjoying the view. It is a country of contrast - beautiful mountains, beautiful people; however at the same time such extreme poverty.

Donkeys.

Mr. Mabaso's fenced in area in front of his house, where the cattle sleep at night.

Mr Mabaso, Heeley (his younger sister), and Jabulile.

getting ready to leave

This child was pushing this wood around like a toy truck

Next we visited the small Catholic Church that Jabulile goes to (in Matata City). Below is the entrance gate for the church. 

The small building to the left is the toilet building that Our Redeemer helped to build through the money we sent. 

Inside the church building. There were 8 pews.

This poster reads "Jesus, I trust in You". That is what it comes down to. Trust. So few resources, so little material wealth, but there is a determination, a hope for the future because they are connected first and foremost to Jesus, and they trust in Him to carry them through these difficult circumstances.

A small clinic space is also in the church building with a table, an exam table, and a sink.

Swallow nests under the eaves of the church (which resulted in piles of bird poop on the church steps).

Just across from the church, people were gathered for a meal

Next we drove into Matata City, where the Faith Community Nurses have a clinic. The door on the left is the Supermarket. The door on the right is the health clinic.

Signs by the grocery store. 

Dispensary inside the health clinic. Jabuleli's sister works here. There are 3 exam rooms, only one of which appears to be in active use.

Garbage can just outside the health clinic. So many rules!

Next we went to see some of the buildings that Jabulile rents, then uses the proceeds to help the youth or to support the health clinic. There was a group of seven children who were standing by one building, watching us.

This is Jabuleli and the mother of three of the children. She is a young woman who went to the university and earned a degree in tourism. She took a job and was renting from Jabuleli, but then lost her job, and her husband left her because "this wasn't the life he expected". So now she is alone with no job and three children to raise. Jabuleli allows her to continue to stay there rent-free while she tries to take some classes and looks for a job. Jabuleli also allowed her to start a garden plot next the building so she can have food to feed her family. We prayed with her and for her and her family.  She said the only thing that keeps her going is her faith that God is looking after her, and nothing is more precious to her than the Word of God. Afterwards, I was talking with her some more, and as we parted she took my handsaid "promise me you will not forget me". Yes, I will not forget you....

In addition to the parish nurses and renting housing to fund youth initiatives, Jabuleli also personally raised many children as her own (I am not sure how many but I think it was in the range of  20-30 children) .

Smoke over the US Distillery. 

Sunset driving back to our villa in Big Bend, with irrigation of the sugar cane fields in the foreground.

For dinner, we went to the same country club as last night (on the grounds of the Ubombo Sugar company). After getting back to our villa, Anita led a devotion based on this verse:

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience

(Colossians 3:12)

We each gave one example of how we saw this verse at work here in Eswatini. These characteristics are present in so much of what we have witnessed, from caring for a developmentally delayed child to the NGO worker who simply saw that the beans on the fire needed to be stirred and some water added, and so did that for the family. Or in the case of an elderly man, who is living by himself and goes days without eating - the NGO worker not only checked up on his medications but also gave him some porridge and cleaned out his bathroom because it had obviously not been cleaned for a while. They didn't go to his house to clean his bathroom; they went to check up on his medication, but they came with compassionate hearts, and in seeing the conditions the man was living in, their compassion led them to address that need also. 

Lord, 

Help us to be compassionate, kind, and patient. 

Help us to listen fully before we speak. 

Help us to seek to make the lives of others a little bit better by our being there. Amen.

It's a momma singing songs about the Lord
It's a daddy spending family time the world says he cannot afford
These simple moments change the world

It's a pastor at a tiny little Church
Forty years of loving on the broken and the hurt
These simple moments change the world

Dream small
Don't buy the lie you've gotta do it all
Just let Jesus use you where you are
One day at a time
Live well
Loving God and others as yourself
Find little ways where only you can help
With His great love
A tiny rock can make a giant fall
Dream small

It's visiting the widow down the street
Or dancing on a Friday with your friend with special needs
These simple moments change the world

Of course, there's nothing wrong with bigger dreams
Just don't miss the minutes on your way to bigger things, no
'Cause these simple moments change the world

Keep loving, keep serving
Keep listening, keep learning
Keep praying, keep hoping
Keep seeking, keep searching
Add up the small things and watch them grow bigger
The God who does all things makes oceans... from rivers

So dream small
Don't buy the lie you've gotta do it all
Just let Jesus use you where you are
One day at a time
Live well
Loving God and others as yourself
Find little ways where only you can help
With His great love
A tiny rock can make a giant fall
Yeah, five loaves and two fish can feed them all
So dream small
Dream small

(Josh Wilson, Dream Small)