We Made it to Eswatini!

Hey everyone! We made it to Eswatini! And wow, it has been a wild journey so far.

First Flight

Before this trip, I had never been on an airplane. It was an aspect of the journey I was very excited about because it was so unknown. Our first flight was from Atlanta to London, and it was such a fun experience. A few of my favorite moments: riding on the train/subway IN the airport, walking through the bridge-like tunnel to get on the airplane (like in the movies), initial take-off (SO FAST), the food, and the movie selections. After a few hours of struggling to sleep on the plane, I found the movie “The Prince Of Egypt” and was immediately clicking to watch it. I realize that God provided me with the perfect reminder I needed to begin this mission; Moses’ story. I had forgotten the power behind the book of Exodus and have been working my way through it these first few days in this beautiful country. Even though Moses was cautious and apprehensive about God’s calling, he continued to follow and obey. In Exodus 3, after Moses questions why he was chosen, God says, “I will be with you.” I have been carrying that quote with me as I continue to walk into new and unknown situations. Keeping the reminder at the forefront of my mind to be brave and obedient like Moses and know that God is with me in every step. All my answers must be, “Yes, God. I will do whatever you have for me”. After spending a 12-hour layover in the London airport, we hopped on a plane to Johannesburg, Africa, and arrived at the AIM Eswatini base on the night of Feb.1st.

Abandonment/Adaption

Learning to abandon familiarity and adapt to new surroundings and cultural differences has been an incredible and humbling experience. Here are a few aspects of everyday life that I am learning to abandon and understanding how to adapt to,

• I am abandoning the constant use of my cell phone. I do not have an international data plan for my cell phone, so I have to wait until I have access to WiFi to communicate back home. Even though it has been an adapting period, it has also been freeing to put all my focus on my surroundings and relationships.
• This weekend I experienced my first bucket laundry session. It was a sweet time spent with some of the other girls on my team. I’m not sure how clean the clothes actually got with our paper detergent, but we’ll have real soap for next weekend. 🙂
• During our month in Eswatini, the team will work together to shop and meal plan at the beginning of every week. We are learning to budget our weekly allowance and plan effectively as a team. Even though spices were forgotten on our first grocery shopping day, the meals have still been filling and tasty!
• This country is gorgeous, but also very hot. It is taking us a minute to adjust from the 40-degree weather in Georgia to the humid 80s here in Eswatini.
• I am learning to adapt to living with quite a few bugs and lizards. We have been told by a few locals that there are many dangerous snakes in this country. I haven’t had the pleasure of running into one yet, but it’s only been four days.
• Before coming on this trip, I had many people worried about what I would be eating. Surprisingly, the grocery store had everything we needed to make our “normal” meals. We’ve had PB&Js, pasta salad for lunches, tacos, and spaghetti for dinners.
• One lesson I seem to have trouble with is the importance of sunscreen. On our first day of ministry, I believed we were working inside. So who needs sunscreen inside, right? Well, we ended up outside in the hot sun ALL DAY. A few people on the team have determined I have a slight case of sun poisoning on my neck; super painful and blistering. One day I will finally understand that sunscreen needs to be worn EVERYDAY in a scorching and sunny environment. 🙂

Home Visit

On Friday, we had our first day of ministry. The Shepard and coordinator for our care point took my team on a house visit. We took a 30-minute walk through the beautiful farmlands to a homestead that holds many generations. They welcomed us into their home, where we gave them food and spent time praying for their health and children. I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to live through experiences like this. I can’t wait to watch how God continues to work in unbelievable ways.

Thank you for stopping by to catch up on what God has been doing in my life and for your continual support. I am super excited to dive deeper into our ministry next week.

Until next time!

Suzy 🙂