With the colder weather, and our bodies adjusting to the Swazi climate, we ventured into town at the beginning of last week to purchase a new blanket so we could attempt to stay warm at night. We found a blanket that is thick and cozy and covered in a beautiful animal print (it was that or flowers and we're not into floral decor), anyways it turns out the blanket came just in time. Arlyn spent most of last week feeling sick and our new blanket is Arlyn's new best friend! Unfortunately Arlyn's been having fevers and spends much of his day covered in the blanket shivering or else he's sweating. He's started taking antibiotics for tick bite fever and was able to rule out malaria today so we're hoping and praying he'll be restored to full health soon. The children at the children's home are on school holidays so Arlyn hasn't had to take me there, so in an effort of looking at the positive I'm thinking that this was a good time for him to be sick but I'm definitely looking forward to having him back to normal which will hopefully be very soon.

Brian and I were able to meet with someone from the education board last week and talk about the possibility of starting to do some preschool activities with the children in the community Brian is building in. There are many steps to be completed to start working with children here and we are eager to follow the traditional laws and not offend. Wanting to help and not offend the traditional systems here means we have to be patient.

We are continuing to wait on news about Brian's land and continuing to trust that God will use this whole situation for His glory.

Unfortunately for us we had to say goodbye to Dan recently. His time with us went too quickly and he is missed. Before Dan left he and Arlyn went on one more fishing trip. Like true hunter gathers/cavemen (with lots of facial hair), they went out fishing and came home with some interesting looking supper. Unlike cavemen (not that I’m a caveman expert but I don’t imagine them cooking) Dan and Arlyn prepared a feast of deep fried catfish in batter and grilled catfish, I never imagined that a fish that looked so ugly would taste so good!

Although Dan left us for a while, and the good folks of Smithers will benefit from our loss, we’re glad that Dan will be returning later this year. While he’s gone he has generously allowed us to use his motorbike. We are so grateful for Dan’s kindness and so are the children at the children’s home; Dan came to give many of the children bike rides before he left and they were excited to see Arlyn coming to get me on Dan’s big, orange motorbike and even more excited when Arlyn continued to give bike rides too.

The first term of school ended recently and now the children have two weeks holidays, with fun filled days of sports, cooking and other activities planned. Before the term ended I was able to attend the primary schools end of term concert and was astonished at how talented the children are. All of the primary school children learn to play musical instruments including the recorder, piano, drums, flute, trumpet and guitar; many of them play several instruments. It was so wonderful to watch as they sang and played what they had learnt this past term.

The great news from last week is that we have a new niece; we are so excited to meet her and wish we weren’t so far away so we cuddle the newest arrival, welcome to the world Emma.

So Many Reasons to Celebrate

Last weekend we had so many reasons to celebrate; Arlyn celebrated his birthday, Dan’s time with us is coming to an end (not a reason to celebrate but a reason to do something special together) and it was Easter. We didn’t have any plans but when we were sitting around the table on Saturday morning we thought it would be a good weekend to do something special so we decided to take off to South Africa and pretend to be tourists for a couple of days. (We also need to leave the country every month and get our passports stamped until we get our Swazi residency so getting out for a while means we have our passports in order). A few hours later we were in the truck, travelling on a dirt road, over the mountains to get to one of the border crossings.

 We drove north towards Sabie and got to see so many beautiful sights as the landscape changed with the different mountain ranges, lakes and areas we passed. Before we got here I didn’t have a clear picture of what I thought Africa would look like but I never imagined it would be as beautiful as I have been privileged enough to see.

On Easter Sunday we got to see some of God’s beautiful creation, getting to see some of these places I am reminded that they must be a small reflection of the beauty of their Creator.  We visited a few waterfalls that were spectacular and enjoyed lunch at Pilgrims Rest, an old-fashioned little town set high in the mountains.

We also drove to some popular tourists sights to see some breath taking views. We went to The Pinnacle, a place called God’s Window and another called The End of the World and finally on to the Three Rondavels, where three rock structures look like three round African homes.

The Pinnacle.

 View from God’s window.

All of us at The End of the World

Dan, Brian and Arlyn checking out the Three Rondavels.

After spending the night with five people in a four-man tent we celebrated Arlyn’s birthday in style….with five people cosily seated together in a little truck driving through Kruger Park! Arlyn loves animals and spending time in Kruger has been a dream for him. I’m glad that we all got to share in that dream with him. We got to see some beautiful animals. It was refreshing to get away spend the weekend with everyone as we explored new places and got to see more of this beautiful world that we live in. Here’s just a glimpse of what we saw.

We all enjoyed Arlyn’s birthday celebrations and he had a wonderful day but he’s still waiting for the best birthday gift, which has yet to arrive…news of a new niece or nephew who should be making an appearance any day now! 

Where Did March Go?

Yes, I realise it’s the middle of April, but I’m still curious as to where March went. Time just seems to be flying by, more so for me than for Arlyn though. March has come and gone quickly, here are just a few of our March highlights and lowlights:

March brought with it Tammie and Dan which was at the top of our list of high points.

The middle of March also brought some land issues, which has caused lows. There has been an issue with the previous owner of Brian’s land, where he has been building his house. A relation of the previous owner is trying to lay claims to the land so work on the house has been stopped. Brian has been going through the traditional channels, speaking with chiefs and community people, to try and resolve the problem. This issue is taking longer to sort out than we would like but we are trusting that God’s hand is in this situation and that He will use this issue for His own glory. We are trying to be patient and wait on God’s timing, which isn’t always easy, especially when Arlyn likes to be busy with work and we are thankful to have the support of the local community behind us. This is a time for us to learn more about how the Swazi culture works and for us to learn to be patient. We would appreciate your prayers for this situation; please be praying that the issue will be resolved soon so work can continue on Brian’s home.

Arlyn’s activities during his unexpected free time has included doing some mechanical projects on Brian’s vehicle and he has brushed up on his painting skills and done some repair work on a friend’s truck. He has also repaired a little quad bike for the children at the children’s home and he’s been trying to learn siSwati. Driving me 40km to work each way everyday has also been keeping him busy and when he arrives to get me in the afternoons he usually ends up giving some of the children motorbike rides too. Arlyn has also been trying to get to know some of the children in the community where the building is taking place.

I have been busy with preschool, learning all about the 10 plagues that God sent to free His people from Pharaoh’s rule in Egypt, different colours, numbers and letters. I’ve really been enjoying my time with the children there and love getting to know them better. Like many Swazi children they speak siSwati but their schooling is done through English. It’s been fun hearing their English improve and one of the little girls from the local community has learnt so much in a short time. Whenever I ask her to repeat something she always says, “tank you Auntie Maria” because she knows how much I love to hear “please” and “thank you”! The children are also learning to be a little more patient and grateful to each other and when it’s someone’s turn to go on the swing they usually remember to say “thanks for sharing” to the person who went before them.

Even though I feel like I should be the one helping the children I have had so many wonderful opportunities where they have been helpful to me. Each week the children learn a new memory verse and recently they have learnt Matthew 19:26 “with man it is impossible but with God all things are possible”. When I’ve been worried about the land issues, worried about financial stuff, worried about where we are going to live here and how we’ll afford it, worried about how we can be best used here, worried about too many stupid things that I can’t control and don’t need to control I think of their little voices and the excitement in their faces as they recite their memory verse while doing actions to it. When they children say, “all things are possible” they stretch out their little hands as far as they can and then give huge thumbs up with big smiles on their faces. I’m the one that’s supposed to be the grown up, I’m supposed to be teaching them but instead they have been reminding me that I am not in control and that God is and I am so thankful that “with God all things are possible”. He will use Arlyn and I, for His glory here, if that is His will, God will sort out the land issues, God will provide for us, I just need to have the faith of a child and believe.

The children also reminded me of God’s goodness during “thanksgiving time;” each afternoon the children come together and pray, thanking God for His blessings that day. It is so sweet to listen to their little voices as they say what they are thankful for. Often they will start with “thank you Jesus for loving me” and recall some of their favourite things from the day such as eating a special treat, playing with something or having a loved one come and visit. Recently when one of the 2.5 year olds was praying she was getting some coaching from a 4 year old who told her to thank God for Auntie Maria “who is SO blessed”. I was humbled once again when it took a 4 year old to remind me just how blessed I am.

I really enjoy my time at the children’s home; they were short staffed for a while in March and I felt honoured to be able to help fill in the gap while they searched for new Swazi staff. I’d be lying if I said every day was easy, working with older children can be more challenging than working with Haitian babies, at times. Some days I long for naptime, when all the children, sleeping on their sponges and wrapped in blankets, look so calm and peaceful.

 These children are active, they have over come more in their short lives than I can even begin to comprehend. The pain that they struggle with causes them to act out at times but they are healing and they are loved. The preschool is so bright and colourful it really is a joyful place.

I especially enjoy spending time with some of the younger ones whose enthusiasm for life is similar to their colouring when they try to fill a page with as much colour as possible, as quickly as possible, and are not yet bothered with staying inside the lines or with what colour I think things are supposed to be.

The younger ones have also been showing me how to tie baby dolls on their backs so they can play “house” and imitate their African traditions. They’ve been attempting to teach me siSwati but I’ve been failing. Unfortunately I haven’t failed at getting ringworm though and for the first time in my life I have it on my face!

Usually in the afternoons some of the primary school boys will start to hang around in the preschool waiting for Arlyn or Dan to come and pick me up. They are fascinated with motorbikes and wait in hope of being taken for a quick ride around the property. When the preschool children hear the motorbike coming they begin jumping up and down with excitement and start shouting; “Auntie Maria your husband is here” or “Auntie Maria your family is here”.

During the middle of March we also got to celebrate St Patrick’s Day, where I celebrate my Irishness and Arlyn celebrates his wanting to be Irishness! March 17^th also marked one year since we left Haiti. One whole year since my feet have touched Haitian soil, one whole year since I’ve spent time with some of the people I love, one whole year since I’ve gotten to hug some wonderful babies, one whole year since I’ve joined the nannies for prayer and singing time. One whole year, 365 days and I still miss it. So much has changed in this past year and I’m thankful for it, I’m thankful for my time in Haiti and the relationships I developed while I was there, thankful for the experiences I had and for the beautiful Haitian people I got to know and love and especially thankful for God’s faithfulness.

Goodbye March also means hello African winter and I know I cant complain when there’s still snow on Arlyn’s parents yard but it has been getting colder here too. Not snow cold but cold enough to need a few layers of clothes when we drive the motorbike to the children’s home, cold enough to need blankets on our bed and cold enough that I ‘ve been covered in goose bumps. 

Good Friends Make Life Better

Our good friend, Dan came and joined us in March. After riding his bike from way up north in B.C., all the way from Smithers to the bottom of South America he decided to fly himself and his bike from there to JoBurg and then join us in Swaziland. We’ve enjoyed many adventures with Dan and love having him around.

 Not only does he make us laugh with his great sense of humour and his singing ability but he also cooks delicious pancakes, among other things.

Arlyn and Dan have been humming the Canadian national anthem, talking about the Canucks hockey team and dreaming of jumping into Tyee Lake on hotter days here. They’ve also been exploring our neighbourhood and have found a beautiful fishing spot. 

After a few trips to the local river they finally brought home a delicious (but a little bit bony) yellow fish dinner! 

Dan has helped with the construction on Brian’s house, made friends with some of the kids in our community while playing soccer, entertained the children at the children’s home with motorbike rides and has even taught me how to bush camp when we’ve explored some of the countryside here and shared his little tent home with us! He has also been right by our sides to help repair flat tyres and even takes me to work when Arlyn is busy.  

With Dan around Arlyn has been eager to explore more of Swaziland by bike so I’m learning to be more comfortable sitting on the back of a bike when they drive farther than I would like on winding roads. The more of Swaziland we see the more impressed we are; it is such a beautiful country and people everywhere are so friendly and helpful.

March also brought Tammie, Brian’s wife, here to join us for a while. Living with Arlyn, Brian and Dan, I was very excited to have more female company in our home. Tammie is sweet, kind, patient, loving and has a great sense of humour. Her years of experience on the mission field have equipped her with many skills, skills that I hope to acquire too someday, especially her ability to make delicious meals for us with limited resources. We are so blessed to have grocery stores here that sell fresh fruit and veg and many ingredients to make wonderful meals, but regardless of the ingredients you still need someone who can actually cook them all together or someone who is willing try new things (not someone like me who is afraid of giving everyone food poisoning!)

It has been such a blessing to be surrounded by good friends, to share time together, talk and to learn more about a new culture with the support of each other. We are all excited about forming relationships with the people in the community that Brian is building in and hope to be a blessing to those around us here. The little house we’re staying in now is getting full, but we’ve all spent time in Haiti so we all know the Haitian people’s ability to always make room for one more person so let us know when you want to come and visit!