In my last blog, I wrote about all the fun times we have
been having and how much love has been in this house. Today finished up our last day of ministry
and we are heading to St. Lucia, South Africa on Sunday for a week of
reflecting and relaxing. Being a leader,
I had less time out in Swaziland because my main ministry was my team. It was hard at first knowing what to really
do with myself and feeling as if I should be doing more. Truthfully, I know I am completely inadequate
as a leader and have no idea how to love or serve a group of young adults who
are desperate to know their Father better. They have ministered to me far more than I could have ever ministered to
them. Thankfully, I have One who lives
in me that is Greater than my weaknesses and only by His grace, I have seen
each one of the participants fall more in love with Christ and I have fallen in
love with each one of them. I love Jesus
more because of every person on this team. What started out as strangers is ending as family. So...to wrap things up, I wanted to share some
sweet things about this last week and try and give you a picture of the
community God has built here. 

Pastor Barlin:

A few weeks ago, I was thinking about taking some time to
learn about other religions as a group for our discipleship sessions. I thought
it would be great to have someone from a different religion who has become a
Christian and could teach us the best way to witness them. Realistically, how was I going to find
someone like that in Manzini? So, I dropped the idea and came up with other
ideas for discipleship. This past
Monday, I was dropping off girls at Make Peggy's (I wrote about her in an
earlier post) and there was a man there named Pastor Barlin. He was a
missionary from South Africa who came from a Hindu background and has been
persecuted for becoming a Christian. I told him I wish he were here longer (he
was leaving the next morning) so he could come and talk to the team about his
story. "Why not tonight?" he said
excitedly! I told him I would have to check and since he didn't have a phone to
reach him on he told me he was staying in room 27 somewhere close to a local
school. At 6pm, I have a strong feeling
that I need to find this man and start driving around looking for him.  Long story short, God leads me to him and I
bring him over for dinner. His story and passion for Christ ministered to each
of us and I am blessed to have met him. Praise God for answering a prayer that I thought was impossible from the
beginning!

Christmas in April:

A few months ago, I got pulled into this "secret" group who
wanted to have Christmas in April but do it as a surprise for the team. Honestly, I think they thought it was wise to
have a leader on their side because that way I have more pull in getting things
done (since I can drive and have access to the funds!). We had "secret meetings" where we would make
snowflakes and decide who was in charge of each task. April 25^th came and we "convinced"
the rest of the team to go hike a mountain. We stayed home all day decorating
and even got a Christmas tree from a local missionary. The house looked amazing! We made baked
oatmeal and eggnog (non-alcoholic of course.) When the team arrived, they were so excited and their faces made the
whole thing worth it! We listened to Christmas music, ate great food, and even
did a white elephant gift exchange (while they were gone I "borrowed" their
things and wrapped them up!) To finish off the night we watched Elf and just
enjoyed each other's company. Why
celebrate the birth of our Savior only one day a year? We should remember that
the King of the Universe came down from heaven in the form of a man where He
was scorned by His own creation and then died on a Cross for our sins every
day! So, Merry Christmas everyone!

Chivalry is NOT dead:

Tonight, Friday May 1^st was our last family fun
night. The guys told us they had it covered and have been in secret mode all
week. To start the night out, they told us to all go into the girl's room and
wait about 30 minutes until they set things up. When they brought us out, they
led us into a candlelit room where they sang a song they had written about
us. Then, they fed us fruit and
chocolate fondue! They told us how appreciative they were of us and how we
always take care of them. They played a
chick flick for us while they made us brownies from scratch and served us ice
water. The night was completed when they
came in after the movie and confessed that the brownies actually turned out
awful and couldn't even get a knife through them! The men on this team are
phenomenal and have been true examples of men of God. I'm not just saying this because they fed us
chocolate but I have been amazed at them for a while now. They protect and comfort us and have each
stepped up in huge ways. Praise God for
these brothers in Christ who have been great representatives of what it means
to pursue Jesus and honor us as women!

I don't know if I will be able to write again before we
leave. We will be gone all next week and then officially leave Swaziland May 12^th. I will be back home May 16^th after
a few days of debrief in Atlanta. Please
continue to pray for us as we wrap things up here. Pray that God will bring
closure and that our last few days together will be filled with sweet
fellowship. Pray for safe travel, as we will be moving around a lot in the next
few weeks. Thank you again for all of your prayers and support and for making
this trip possible!