Sun 060726

 This was the view as I opened the door this morning.

Right in the “yard” were both imyala

And impala.

I first went down to the electric (?) fence to take in a view of sunrise over the large watering hole.

Next I headed to the outdoor shower.

It was perfect - spacious size, plenty of hot water , and best view of the sunrise I have ever had while showering!

Soon after my shower, I saw Jeff coming over by where I was admiring the sunrise. I told him about my wonderful shower experience, and he told me about his shower experience- trying to use a hand held sprayer in a tub with no walls or curtains. He said there was water everywhere, as there was no way to avoid having some of it go on the floor. 

Breakfast was back at the outdoor eating area, where they had a buffet including eggs made any way you wanted.

Part of our group enjoying their outdoor breakfast.

After breakfast, I went for a walk around the perimeter of the area we could walk in (I followed the electric fence all the way around the “humans “ enclosure.)

It was a peaceful walk, with much to see- flowers and berries,

A bird way up in the top of a dead tree,

Larger birds on the ground (and the usual collection of impalas and imyalas as discussed previously).

We got packed up and were on our way, with Ndumiso driving the van I was in (pictured below) and his son Philani driving the other vehicle.

We drove south, with the Lubombo Mountains to our left most of the way. Here we are approaching the town of Siteki.

Of course, there were the usual cattle in the road.

South of Siteki, we were again in sugar cane country.

We crossed the Great Usutu River (one of two major rivers in Eswatini).

Also passed some monkeys,

More cattle (at least these were in the road right by a sign alerting us to their presence!),

And occasional chickens.

We arrived to St Phillip’s Catholic Church pretty much right at 10:30, when the service was about to start.

It is a beautiful church with a domed ceiling. There is a tile mural of the apostle John with Mary , and a crucifix between them, reminding us of Jesus on the cross telling John to take Mary as his mother.

The service was a mix of Siswati and English. And Latin if you count Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison, Kyrie eleison ( Lord, have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy) which was sung by the choir to the tune I recognized. Actually I recognized the tunes of many of the hymns which were sung in Siswati. They had a wonderful choir, and an energetic choir director. The front row on one side was all children (with 2 nuns baiting behind them who kept an eye on them).The main part of the service was about 2 hours long

After all the people filed out, our group stayed behind to visit (Barb, Thandiwe Dlamini and Anita below) Thandiwe is the founder of Faith Community Nursing.

This is the banner in front of the sanctuary. What a great reminder of what we are to do. Jesus said to go do the same yourself (loving our neighbor by serving them, seeing their need, and taking care of them, even as the Good Samaritan did, even as Jesus himself  did- feeding, giving drink, giving clothes, welcoming the stranger, and visiting those who are sick or in prison. This is what the NGOs here in Eswatini are doing, and a good reminder of what we all should be doing.

Pastor tried out the acoustics “grace,  mercy and peace be unto you….” I know you can hear him saying it! The acoustics were great- no need for a microphone system here!

As we made our way out of the church, I saw a line of people walking out down the street. I thought it was a little odd, but maybe everybody is just walking home from church.

But then they turned a corner, and I saw the acolytes and priest leading and everyone else following. I found out that this is a special Sunday for them (only happens once per year) where they go as a congregation and bless the secondary and primary Catholic schools on the grounds. So that took another 30 min or so, then they all came back.

We waited for them outside the church. Looking around, I noticed their design for the “cross and entrance project”…

Then we went over to the area in front of the priest’s house, and were there when they all processed to that location

They said some prayers, then went back in the sanctuary to conclude the service (about 2 hrs and 45 min from when it had started!)

As we got in our vehicles to leave the church, a group of children came to wave goodbye. ( The primary school is in the background.)

We drove around behind the primary school to this meeting room.

Where we were served a delicious lunch.

Many youth joined us and we were divided into four groups to discuss the problems youth are facing in Eswatini, and brainstorm strategies to combat them. Two groups had lots of youth (10 or so per group), one group was church workers/leaders, and my group had Denise, Thandiwe, Kasia, and Diana(one of the children that Jabulile took in and raised, and now is in college to train to be a counselor/mental health worker).

Afterwards we gathered in a circle and shared the highlights discussed. Themes included unemployment (even after a college degree), lack of mental health support, social media influence, lack of a strong bond to the church ( lack of spiritual growth), and so many more. 

Here is Anita sharing about the discussion in her group 

Here I am with Diana, she was a delight to talk with. She has such hopes for how she will make a difference in the lives of the youth of Eswatini, and such a servant heart.

This is Jabulile Dlamini at her home near the church, which she rents out to visiting government officials (to raise money to help fund Faith Community Nursing-FCN). Actually this is “ the piggery” out back of her house, where she had two female pigs which she breeds and sells the piglets also to raise money for FCN.

As we were driving to our villa, the sun was setting. This was somewhat of a concern as there are no street lights and it is more difficult to see the animals on the road at night.

 

We made it safely, however, to the Lebombo Villa.

After we got checked in, we went to dinner at the nearby Country Club (on a sugar cane compound, not a golf course)

Here we are at the entrance 

We were the only people in the restaurant…We ordered our food, then Pastor led devotions while we waited for our food. 

Pastor talked about how the Bible refers to the devil as a prowling lion (which we now have a fresh mental image of what a prowling lion looks like!) But the Bible also refers to God as a lion :

The lion has roared; who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken; who can but prophesy?” (Amos 3:8)

Everyone is terrified when a lion roars-and ordinary people (like Amos) become prophets when the LORD God speaks. Just like Amos, God has given each one of us a mission- to go and make disciples. Amos (who was from Judah) initially wasn’t particularly keen on going to Israel (which was full of Idolatry), but the Lord roared like a lion , and Amos went. 

Lord, You are a God of power and might. You created the universe, and You and sustain it. Your roar would surely be louder than 1000 lions, and Your Word  and Your will for my life deserves my respect and attention. As a lion, You are truly the King of the Jungle -You have and will always have absolute sovereignty over your creation, including my life. May I hear Your voice and gladly do what you desire. For just as a lion fiercely guards its pride, so too do You fiercely protect and guard those who trust in You, defending them against all threats. Give me boldness to witness these truths about who You are to the people in the world around me.  Amen.