More than a day in Swaziland

Children’s Hope Chest has 14 Care Points in a 20 mile radius of the Capital city of Manzini Swaziland.

The TREE CP of Lulada is unbelievable. Three or four years ago a Grandmother (Go-Go in Swazi) began feeding three or four kids in her home. So many kids began coming she had to move the cooking outdoors. Today with the help of Children’s Hope Chest she feeds 90-100 kids one meal a day and has no church sponsor. That means she is receiving food from Hope Chest that was given earlier but will run out in the near future. She has nothing else to offer so many hungry abandoned orphaned kids. NOTHING!

As we arrive here she was beginning to prepare for the kids meal. I watched as she and another other women built a fire under the big old tree in the bush. Another women brought the water from a stream downhill. I was deeply stirred not long after the smoke began to drift through the trees. Kids began to come out of the woods, along with the goats and a skinny starving old dog. In Swaziland everybody knows that “where their is smoke their maybe food.” First one small child, then another, then an older sister carrying her little brother. Afterwards came a six year boy old walking up the hill with a younger sibling in tow. Then the steam of kids began to flow more quickly. The needs of this CP are obvious. Besides food for her to feed these children they need 1.) a fence to claim the property that the Chief has given them. If it is not fenced then the Chief may give it to someone else or a squatter may come build a shack on it. 2.) The TREE CP needs a kitchen to cook the food. One with big enough to also house a water barrel inside so the go-goes do not carry the water from the stream. 3.) A well dug and the list goes on and on.

Mpholi CP touched me the deepest. A go-go began three years ago to also feed kids from her home. Today she averages 200 kids a day with three other women helping her cook and serve from a large cast-iron pot.

It was raining the day we visited. As the team began to meet the children I wanted to meet the Go-Goes. What a surprise to find that they spoke English. After some discussion about what was in the pot (fortified rice provided daily by Hope Chest) I was offered tea from a tin bucket.

One women asked if I was from the US and why I came. My answer; because I too was an orphan and God has placed it on my heart to encourage others to be apart of helping those who have no one. Each Go-Go shook my hand and thanked me for coming saying we need the help. They really do.

When the rice was ready the Lord prompted me to ask to serve His little ones. I could tell the ladies were surprised when I sought permission to do so. What a privilege it was to do this. I looked into the eyes of each child and wondered if they tell my heart ached for them and that I loved them. What a privilege give them something to eat. It was an honor to serve God’s provision and say God bless you to each one.

There is SO MUCH to convey. Please pray for me as we continue to go into Nosoko (SE Swaziland on Sunday). There we will also be visiting AIDS patients.

There are so many children. I have not seen an intact family anywhere. No Mom & Dad out walking with a son or daughter. Out in the country only older women and no men. A missionary from South Africa told me two things that startled me. That the average expectancy of life in Swaziland is now 28 from a few years ago of 35 and that by 2050 there will be no Swazi's.

Sorry for the delay in posting and not being able to post photos. Hopefully I will be able to share more soon. Internet here is hard find and not very reliable.

Thank you following, Ron