Our ministry in Eswatini is working with care points. A care point is a place where kids go after school to play and get food. Each team is assigned to a care point where they will stay for the entirety of our time in Eswatini. It is a lovely place where we play with the babies and the older kids when they finish school. Our days consist of holding babies in the morning and running around with the older kids in the afternoon. We have learned so many hand-clapping songs and games, which is fun! I am so thankful that we get to play with kids all day and show them the love of God. Since we’re not doing it by our strength, we can endure the days strong. God fills us up so that we can overflow to the kids. God is so kind in allowing us to partner with him in ministry and gives us the strength to do it. We would not be able to provide the kids 100% all the time but with God, we can! I love care point ministry and am so glad we get to stay at the same one the entire time. We build reliability which leads to deeper relationships. I am so grateful for all the kids I get the privilege of loving and playing with. I have connected with many kids, but I will tell you about three. From day one, Busiswa, Bonega, and Sino have stuck by my side. Now I’m going to tell you a little bit about each one.
Busiswa is eight years old and is the life of the party. She is so intelligent and goofy. She can be a little stinker sometimes, pushing people’s buttons, but she’s a lover. She is a word-of-affirmation kind of girl who builds people up with notes. She is always willing to share whatever she has and is so full of joy. She starts shy, but once her guard is down, she is silly and always looking for a way to play games. She clings to me at all times, and it’s so sweet! Thank you, God, for Busiswa! May we cling to you the way that she clings to me.
Bonega is ten years old and is a peaceful, kind girl. She tends to be quieter, but when someone needs to be stuck up for, she does it. She is willing to step into the background so that others can get what they need. She has such a sweet smile and spreads so much joy. She is such a selfless leader who loves people so well. Once you get to know her, you hear little goofy comments that get everyone laughing and sweet notes that were carefully decorated. Thank you, God, for Bonega! May we be as intentional with you as she is with everyone.
Sino is ten years old and is a selfless caretaker. Her parents passed away recently, so she cares for her younger siblings. She couldn’t go to school; she needed to work to get food for her siblings, but now she can go to school with the help of the care point! She is a very observant girl who doesn’t trust people easily, but when she does, you will see a deep, funny, strong, intelligent girl who loves so strongly. She is so bright and so sweet! Thank you, God, for Sino! May we look up and smile at you the way she looks up and smiles at me.
I love the Carepoint kids and don’t want to leave them! I’m so grateful for this experience and the ability to love the kids. Thank you God!!
The people here are so friendly and very relational. Everyone greets everyone, and it is considered rude if you don’t. This is a complete switch from Romania, but it is so sweet. It has given us many opportunities to share God’s love because the conversation is already started. It is also sweet because although some people are guarded, they open up and let us in after seeing us come so often. The other day, one of the little girls, who wouldn’t let anyone hold her at first, fell asleep on me. It was so sweet and memorable! All the glory belongs to God!
