Random Ramblings- December 1

How in the world is it December 1 already?  I know I say this every month, but it seems like time is just flying by.  I have so many different thoughts & emotions that I am processing through in this season, but here are a few of them (that hopefully answer some of your questions too!)

~ Leaving AIM...Yes, it is true that after several years serving through AIM here in Nsoko, I will not be working with them anymore.  It has been a bittersweet decision and transition because the people I have served are like friends & family.  I can truly echo what Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 2:8, where he tells the church that he loved them so much that He was delighted to not only share the Gospel, but his life as well because they had become so dear to him.  These words mean so much more to me now as I say goodbye to the children who have become a part of my life & my days here in Nsoko!  I am finished in day to day ministry, and wrapping up some admin work over the next couple of weeks. 

~ Nsoko Ministry...Many of you have asked what will be happening with the Nsoko ministry, and in the Lord's provision, the Swazi staff are equipped (those of you who have been here know that already!) and there are two new families whom God has called to move to Nsoko!  Our full time staff now consists of Smanga, Phindile, Velaphi, Sanele, Celimpilo, Thandi, Nelly, and Nombali.  The Lord has called and equipped them to serve their people in difficult situations, but it's amazing to see the different ways He has gifted them uniquely and how they work together as a team!  Pray for them, and the Malloy & Spragg families as they all transition into serving together!

~ Processing...It's impossible to begin to process all the different emotions that I have felt over the last weeks & months, especially as life continues to unfold here.  In the midst of preparing my heart to say goodbye, I have been confronted once again with the reality of life (and death) here as we lost a little one year old this weekend to pneumonia.  There is a sense of relief & release as I pass the baton of shepherding this ministry to the new families, but also a continued burden as I am accountable for the difficult things I have seen, the stories I have heard, the physical and spiritual poverty that I have encountered. 

~ Heading To Colorado...We are still in the process of getting things in order to come to Colorado (packing our house, selling belongings, etc. as well as finishing the visa process).  We still don't have plane tickets or a date for when we will be coming across the ocean, but we will keep you updated as we know!  We believe that it will be best for the new families, the AIM Nsoko staff, and the Nsoko community if we aren't down here when the ministry year opens in January, so we will be staying elsewhere in Swaziland until we head to Colorado.

~ What Next...we don't know.  We are excited to take a break from the intensity of ministry here in Nsoko, to spend time with family and friends (many of whom Mxolisi has never met), to be a part of a thriving church, to meet my newest niece, to enjoy some snow...and so much more!  We are in the process of beginning to figure out what life in Colorado looks like (housing, jobs, etc.) and we will keep you updated!

~ World AIDS Day...I never know what to think on December 1 because my mind flashes with so many faces of people who have been wrecked by this horrible disease.  My heart goes out to those who were born with it, receiving it as their parents made poor decisions; my heart goes out to girls who didn't have a chance to pursue purity because it wasn't a choice they got to make for themselves, and now they find themselves with AIDS; my heart goes out to the women whose husbands brought it home and infected them; my heart goes out to those who have been misled by their churches and culture into thinking that sexual promiscuity is ok; my heart goes out to the 15 year old girl, that is the backbone of her family, that I bought lunch for last month so she could take her medicines, and the life that she is living completely based on the results of other people's decisions and behavior; my heart goes out to those who have graduated from high school without a basic biology class to understand how germs (and diseases!!) are spread; my heart goes out to the older generation who are burdened with caring for and providing for grandchildren and neighbor children; my heart goes out to the kids who have seen their parents pass away from this horrible disease; my heart goes out to people in this country who don't get the best treatment or have access to quality care.

~ Holidays in Swaziland...It's still hard to wrap my brain around Thanksgiving and Christmas being the hottest time of the year!  It's now tradition that mango picking begins around Thanksgiving, and the papayas are growing like weeds!  This year for Thanksgiving, we bought a turkey from a homestead and had a friend butcher & clean it, and I cooked a turkey for the first time!  We joined the other two American AIM families here in Nsoko, with a world race team, and all of our Swazi staff (42 people in all!).  Mxolisi and I will be spending Christmas here in Swaziland once again, with no official plans yet.

 

~ How Can We Pray For You...Pray how the Lord leads!  You can be praying through all of the areas I mentioned above, pray for our hearts as we pass the ministry on to the new families, pray for us as we prepare to say see you later to Mxolisi's family, pray for us as we prepare to step into life in Colorado (in the last 2 years I have spent less than 2 months in America!), pray for us to be able to process through heavy things on our hearts from this season of ministry, pray for our marriage, pray for the Lord to continue to draw us deeper into knowing Him, pray for the Lord to go ahead of us in the details He has planned for our life in Colorado. 

~ God is faithful...The more I reflect on how the Lord has worked to prepare me for this season of serving here in Swaziland, how He called me to this country I had never heard of, and how He allowed me to have a front row seat in watching how He is at work in the lives of people in these communities, the more humbled I am at His faithfulness and how He is fulfilling His promise of drawing people to Himself from every nation!  I could talk for hours about stories of His faithfulness day after day over the last several years.  And I ask that you join me in praising Him for the ways He is at work to make Himself known in this community and worshiped above all else!  He has been (and will be) faithful in my life and I am humbled to be living through this testimony that the Lord is alive and active and has redeemed me to be an ambassador of His grace!