Blessed are the poor in spirit…..

“Yea, blessed are the poor in spirit who come unto me, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  (3 Nephi 12:3)  This scripture describes the wonderful people from Gege that we had the privilege of meeting Friday.  This little city is located at the south end of Swaziland.  Den and I left early and drove for over an hour then turned onto a dirt road for another 30 – 40 minutes.  We picked up Elder Fisher, Elder Ssenyango and Ayanda Mabusa (a young man from Nhlangano anxiously awaiting his mission call)  for a day of visiting members.  There were no roads to their homesteads.  To find our members of the church we drove through tall grass and fields of corn stalks.  But once we arrived at their homesteads, we found nothing but love and kindness. 

Let me tell you a little bit about these amazing people.  Most of them are gogos (grandmas),  women and children.  If there is a man in the family, they work outside of Gege and make it home only on holidays.  They are called homesteads because it is not just one home.  Some are polygamous families; others have sons and daughters joining the parents, so they just keep adding huts to the plot.  You end up with a lot of structures in one area.  They all live together, helping each other survive.  One gogo we visited had several daughters with her, a lot of grandchildren and one grandson on a mission in Kenya.  Another gogo got out of bed to greet us because she has not been feeling well for a long time and the Elders are trying to get her to a doctor which I think would be in Nhlangano.

Their food consists of what they grow which is mainly maize (corn).  They make bread, mush, (and I am not sure what else), with the corn they grow.  We saw chickens roaming the homes and yards, pigs in wooden cages. I saw a few wood-burning stoves and I am not sure what the others cook on.  A sister we met at the school cooks lunch every day for 600 students at the high school in three pots.  Water is a necessity of life and theirs is obtained through the rain gutters catching the rain and directing it into a huge container.  Clothes are washed by hand and hung out to dry.   One sweet sister was making a beaded necklace when we arrived which she does to make extra money.  She also makes mats which she so graciously presented one to me. 

“Blessed are all they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost.” (3 Nephi 12:6) The members, which are mostly women and children, do hunger and thirst after righteousness.  They have strong testimonies and an intense desire to do the work of the Lord.  But they are serving in leadership capacities without manuals or tools or skills or knowledge because they are so new and isolated.  Their chapel is the high school.  They have to arrive early to sweep the floors of classrooms, push back the desks, find chairs enough for 60 people so they can hold sacrament service and then YW, YM, Primary and Relief Society.  Our desire is to help them get the training and supplies they need to fortify the testimonies of their children – the church’s future of Gege.

We live in a little town called Ezulwini which is near the Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary

Bro. and Sister Malinga – moved to Gege from Manzini.  He is the Melchizedek Priesthood.

Sister Ndlovu – she makes necklaces, jewelry and mats besides all her other household responsibilities and counselor in the Relief Society

Sis. Ndlovu’s  adorable grandson

Corn bread given to the Elders by Sis. Ndlovu.  She also gave me a mat that she had made.

Sis. Ndlovu’s container to collect rain for her supply of water

Elder Ssenyango, Sister Nhelko, me, Elder Fisher, Ayanda Mabusa

Sister Mlipha’s Family (in front holding granddaughter)

Helping her do their wash – they had so much!

Sister Gugu, her son and sister, Sbongile

Sister Selina Malinga – she was not feeling well when we came

Me, friend of and Sister Thembi Malinga and the pots that they cook for 600 students

Sister Zanele Malinga and Elders – she went and changed her clothes for the picture

Sister Ntshalintshali, her sons and nephew – YW President

Gege’s Meeting house – the schoolA homestead

This is how they make their homes – put wood pieces than mud.  The Elders are building one

Den and the Elders playing soccer.  Below is their soccer ball – grocery bags

Gege’s baptismal font – which they use often

Coming out to say sawubona

View from the school

“Blessed are all the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (3 Nephi 12:8)

A Day in the Life of a Swazi

A few days ago I realized that you have not  seen how a Swazi really lives.  The pictures I have sent have been of our beautiful home, the chapels that our saints attend and the sweet, wonderful people that surround us.  But what I see everyday is much different.  I have mentioned how humble these people are.  They truly are and I want you to get a feel for what their day is like – every day.  But a day does not go by that we do not get a wave, a smile, a friendly greeting.  When we try (and I mean try because I am crucifying their language) to speak to them in their language, they grin and giggle and are so pleased we are trying.  They wave as we drive down the street; they pull over in their cars if they are going slower than the traffic; the ladies at the cash registers talk and laugh with us; the young men that pump our gas are smiling; the children stop and smile and are so willing to talk to us.  It is a whole different world Den and I are living in.  We have never felt threatened, just welcomed warmly.   It is a much slower paced lifestyle.  They don’t have much but they are grateful for what they have!  There will be more to come in the future.  I want you to know these amazing people!

You can’t see it, but there were children running around playing by their homes

Doing her daily wash

We see this daily on rural or city roads – women, men and children

We were trying to locate a eye doctor in a hospital and we couldn’t believe the conditions

This was the entrance to the emergency part of the hospital – Koy how would you like to work here?

A Swazi car wash – Swaziland has red dirt all over and most roads are dirt roads,

Anybody for a haircut?

On the corners, they grill their maize – our corn on the cob, kind of – their fast food

More people walk than drive – walking home at the end of a day’s work. Look at both sides of the street.

A Primary School – young children.  They go from 8:00 a.m. – 12:00; play for an hour then walk home. EVERY school has uniforms.

The University dorm

The country is full of these footbridges – they provide a path over rivers for the locals to get around.  They are missing boards and very scary!

This is our friend John carving our name on this tray.  He sits in the heat all day at the Manzini Market

Weaving baskets at a store called Gone Rule

Our friendly gas attendants

A kombi – their taxi and bus system.  They pack these vans with locals!

Kingdom of Swaziland Airport

BYU Young Ambassadors are Coming to Swaziland

On May 9, 2012 the BYU Young Ambassadors are coming to Swaziland.  The saints here are busy getting ready for this event.  On Tuesday, Den and I attended a meeting with the Swaziland Public Affair Committee of the church to finalize some plans for the program.  This committee is really on top of things.  George Dlamini is the chairman, Sister Pumie Gamedze, Pres. Shongwe and Sister Dudu ? (I’ll find out her name) are committee members.  The Young Ambassadors are arriving the night before and the Young Single Adults will be performing for them some original Swazi dances.  They are sending special invitations to the US Ambassador to Swaziland, the Swaziland prince – Prince Masitsela and media people.  Assignments were made for advertising, food, etc.  I am really looking forward to their performance.

Wednesday night we went to the Manzini branches dance practice for this event.  So fun.  They have practices on Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday’s at 4:00.  This is a huge sacrifice for these young people but well worth the effort.  Can you imagine a lot more boys than girls at a dance practice?  In Swaziland it happens.  They were delightful to watch and even Dennis got into the fun. 

Elder and Sister Gunderson are up from Durban, so we were able to visit with them Monday night and had dinner at our home on Wednesday night.  It is so nice to have couples join us here in Swazi and in our home.  It makes it feel more like home when they visit.  The Manzini Elders invited us to their District  Development Meeting where Dennis gave a short lesson.  Dennis did a great job and the District Leader was superb. 

The Lord’s work is going well here in Swaziland.  The members are strong, the Elders are hard-working and the people are ripe for the truth.  But we all need your prayers.

Manzini Single Adult Youth practicing their Swazi Dance

Does Dad look like a Swazi?

The two young men in the middle are leaving for their missions in June!

I had video but it has disappeared on me.  I will try again at another time.  We love you all!!

FIRSTS

Whenever you start a new adventure, there are a whole lot of firsts!!  Your first birthday, first anniversary, first child, first home, first blessing, first prayer, etc.  Well, I have completed a whole lot of firsts the last few weeks.  I have left my family for the first time, I have been away from my home and the valley that I love for over two weeks for the first time, starting my first mission, the first time in South Africa, the first time in Swaziland, surviving my first week in a home in an unfamiliar country, fed the mission president and his wife dinner for the first time, the first ever I was awaken by a rooster crowing in our front yard, witnessed a baptism as a missionary for the first time, it was a first to sing in church without an accompanist, for the first time I played the piano for Sacrament Meeting, Sunday School and the combined Relief Society and Priesthood meeting (since when do we have an opening song and closing song in Sunday School but these people love to sing), went to our first game reserve, saw first hand how the humble live, for the first time saw more people walking than driving cars, listened to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir in our car for over an hour and enjoying every minute was really a first for me, saw monkeys in my front and back yard for the first time, it was a first to see children playing in a river with just their birthday suit on,  women holding their heavy bags on their heads was a first for me, really understanding for the first time the extent of our Father’s love and witnessing His presence in every day life.  I am sure I missed a whole lot of firsts and I am sure there are many more firsts to come, but I want to thank my Heavenly Father for opening my eyes and my heart to this wonderful country and magnificent people.

 Saturday, we attended a baptism for a young 13 year old – Wonder Sicunusa Dlamini – in the Manzini Branch Chapel.  It was such a sweet experience to be there and witness the Lord’s work first hand.  His mother, Thembi, has had the desire to be baptized for 2 1/2 years but because of some legal matters, she has to wait.  She bore her testimony to me that this church is the only true church and the only thing she desires is to be baptized.  She knows some day she will.

Early Sunday we drove to Nhlangano, about 1 1/2 hours, through amazing country to attend a branch conference.  They meet in 3 trailers and we filled the “chapel”.  It was a conference for the Nhllangano Branch and Gege group.  The Gege group had to rent kombie’s (taxis - volkswagon vans that are stuffed full of people) to get there and they had 50 saints come.  They tell me it is about a 30 – 40 minute drive on dirt road.  We have a set of Elders serving in that town and they are accepting the gospel with such enthusiasm.  They were so fun to meet and the children were incredible.  They had meetings all day and some of those children were there from 8:30 – 4:00 without food, rest, or any of the normal things children have, and they were happy and I never heard them complain. 

They needed a piano player and I said I could play with the simplified hymn book which they showed me.  But then, of course, they wanted some that were not in that book, so I played with one hand.  Luckily, the piano had an organ switch which drowned out my mistakes and lack of another hand.  I played for all sessions.  During the later meeting, I heard the children singing I Am A Child of God and I couldn’t restrain myself anymore and had to leave to go hear them.  As tears streamed done my face, I knew I was witnessing our Heavenly Father’s love first hand.  Their voices were sweet, loud, melodic and sung with testimony.  How lucky I was to be there.  Later, while the men had meetings, we played “ooga booga look” (no idea how to spell that), a too-te-tot (again no idea how to spell), big boody (? this one they even knew) and games and songs from Swaziland.  It was fun!

Pres. Von Stetten and his wife came for dinner on Saturday night which  was part of our first rain storm in Swazi.  I had our table outside all set up and it started to pour but luckily the table did not get wet and we continued to eat outside.  It was delightful.  Den was not at home when they first came.  He had to meet the Ezulwini Branch President at the chapel to exchange chains and locks for the gate.  He walks a long ways to get there, so Dennis ended up taking him home.  His road is dirt, rutted, rocks and the worst road I have ever seen (we took another family member there today) and it started to rain and was dark, so he was late getting home.   But it ended up being a wonderful evening. The president had interviews with all our Swazi Elders on Sunday, so I invited them over again for left overs.  We had a great visit with them.  What spiritual giants they are.

I have had two amazing Sundays here.  I cannot imagine it getting better than this.  But I still have two branches we have not visited yet.  I am sure I have a whole lot of firsts to come!

Love you all and thanks for sharing my experiences with me.     Taunia