"Siyahamba, hamba siyahamba, hamba siyahambe kukhanyen kweNkosi" (We are walking, walking, we are walking in the light of God)..... This is the song that the children taught me and that we sing when I get to walk them home after school. I remember the first day when I walked them home. They were shocked that instead of waving goodbye to them at the gate, I actually continued to walk with them. They all gave me these huge smiles, as they came to me to hold my hand and started singing this song. As we continued to walk there were many moments in which I thought to myself, "Are we there yet? I knew their homes were far but how much longer". I even asked one of the children if we were almost there and he told me, "Teacha, Up. Up. ", as he grabbed my hand to continue to lead me. I still had no clue to where they were leading me to but I continued to walk with them and instead of focusing on how far it was, I began to embrace the moment with them. Laughing, dancing, playing games, skipping, running to see who would get to a certain spot the fastest and so much more. As I walked back home, at first I couldn't believe how far I had walked and I thought about how they walk home alone so frequently. Then it hit me again... These children face so so much BUT yet they are always so happy. You definitely don't know what its like until you get to experience it for yourself and even then I only get to experience a glimpse of what they do. I definitely continue to admire these children and this community. There are no words to describe how much I love them! I also thought about the song and how in life there are many moments in which I face situations and I begin to get tired or overwhelmed and ask God, "God, How much longer? Where exactly are you taking me?" It was at that moment, as I was walking back home, in which I realized that although we may grow weary or tired, God is right there walking with us every step of the way and we have to embrace every moment with Him, allowing Him to take the lead. Being here has been such a blessing and many days I feel like I am not strong enough or find myself wondering and asking God "Whats next?" Many times I find myself wanting to know exactly what will come next, but being here I have learned to allow God to give me the strength to trust in Him, as He continues to lead me on this journey/walk with Christ. I can't believe that I've been here for almost three months now. Every day is a new adventure and a new learning experience. God is so good and this past month He has been working in our midst. Although I have faced and continue to face challenges, He continues to remind me why I am here. I look back at the month of October with such gratitude to God, my family and so many others who have made it possible for me to be here and who are helping to make a difference in the lives of the beautiful people here in Swaziland. Although we were able to do three distributions it was so difficult to watch as some of the children on our last stop began to fight over who would get what and taking things away from each other. I pray that we can receive more clothing donations soon, to be able to go back there again. It breaks my heart to see such a big need. Thank you for all of your love, support and prayers!
With Love, Patty
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