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Goodbyes Break My Heart
Unfortunately, all good things come to an end. I had been preparing myself for departing Swazi, but it still was the most difficult thing I’ve done. It was such a terrible feeling to be the source of so much pain for others. Many of my students asked me to stay. They asked me to postpone
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Everyday a Miracle
For Easter, my mom sent me a package and one of the little gifts was a jewelry box with the figure of a mother and her child. My mom didn’t write anything to explain the gift but she didn’t need to, I knew it was to represent my mother’s heart for Tenele. I immediately loved
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Journals Continued: Cries of my Heart
4-19-11 Tuesday I am in such agony. My heart hurts because I don’t have much time left here. Jesus, I need your hope and grace and strength so desperately. Jehovah-Rapha, heal my breaking heart. Hear my desperate cries–the words that are so heavy with sorrow that they cannot make it to my lips. I need
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Is it Worth it?
As always, with Tenele, it’s one big step forward, two steps back…but those bigs steps are always amazing when it happens. After not hearing from Tenele for awhile, I went with Johannes to Mangwaneni one morning after church to talk to Cedric. I was nervous, a bit scared, but I knew it was what I
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Journal Entries Continued: April 14th
4-14-11 Thursday Wow, God! I am speechless! I cannot thank and praise you enough for your goodness and how you are working in Tenele’s life. Your surprises take my breath away! Thank you for your power and goodness and victory. Continue to send your Spirit upon Tenele! Set her free. Today was incredible. After school
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A Journal Summary of the Final Month
A series of journal entries that say more than what I could tell you now about how my adventure in Swaziland was coming to an end: 4-3-11I need to turn up the heat, pump harder, run faster. For those who hope in the Lord will soar on wings like eagles, run and not grow weary,
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When I Thought it Couldn’t Get Worse
Tenele didn’t come on Tuesday like she said. On Wednesday, Temu and Londi came by because their house in Mangwaneni had burned down and all their school clothes and uniforms were gone, so I had told them to come by and I’d take them to get school shoes. Temu told me that Tenele told her
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Return of the Prodigal Daughter
I have read the story of the prodigal son many times before, but I have never really thought about how the father felt the moment he saw his son coming…until now. After waiting and waiting and waiting, the day finally came when his son returned! Well…the next day after Tenele’s visit, I was sitting at
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Take Me Home
“Please, Mary-Kate, can you take me home with you?” After a delightful day with Tenele about a month ago, her question still rolls around on my heart. I remember the moment almost perfectly. And it broke me, because though I want more than anything to take her home with me, I know I can’t. It
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Marching On
“March on and weather the storm, for a rainbow is just around the corner.” My dad wrote that in a card to me the first time I came to Africa. It’s a comment I have never forgotten. The past few months have been extremely difficult, with the intense heat, demanding hours spent trying to figure
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Father’s Love
On Sunday, Fr. Martin sang “How Deep the Father’s Love” and it reminded me of how powerful this Fatherly love really is. We hear it talked about all the time “the Father’s love for us,” but do we really understand it? My experience of this definition of a Father’s love is my relationship with my
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Lord, I Want to See
After the adventure of going to Matsapha to find the prostitutes, I was full of passion and vision and also absolute disgust for the culture’s view of women. I found out that one of the boys in my class had been to this prostitution place in Matsapha before. And that broke me even more, that
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How far would you go for Five Dollars?
How far would you go or what would you do in order to get five dollars? I’m assuming, some of us would take silly bets or do simple silly things to earn a few bucks here or there. Take, for instance, my friend Michael who will eat any spicy/odd concoction of food for a few
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Please Make Me Something
“Please, make me something.” Not just the cry of an 18 year old girl, but the cry of a multitude of young women yearning to be “something” in a society that says they’re not. It didn’t long for me to hear that Bongiwe started skipping some days at school. She didn’t hide the fact from
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Is 50% an F?
“God does not ask us to be successful, he only asks us to be faithful.” -Mother Teresa This was one of my favorite Mother Teresa quotes. But I didn’t really experience it’s meaning until now. And it’s still hard for me to actually believe. I feel like a failure. I am a teacher, and I
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The Coaster Continues
While Tenele had dropped out of school and didn’t even come to tell me, she did send me a letter. My spirit was partly renewed by receiving her letter, but also still crushed because it almost seemed like she was saying goodbye, or giving up. To translate a little here…”make wami” means “my mother.” On
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The Rollercoaster Called “Tenele-Bell”
So Tenele never showed up Friday, right? Well, I got a letter later that day from Ayanda. Tenele had written me a letter and asked Ayanda to deliver it to me. She said that she still wanted to go to school but that her boyfriend, Cedric, wouldn’t let her go. Ayanda proceeded to tell me
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Jehovah-Jireh: The Lord Provides
Immediately after getting the kids registered at schools, I sent a message out to friends and family back home via facebook about the children’s lives and if anyone is interested in supporting them. I was thrilled by the feedback from certain individuals who are now eagerly supporting the children. I told the kids they are
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Multiplying Fish
On Friday, January 14th, I set out with one goal and one goal only: get Tenele into school. But God had other plans. At the end of the day, I, unfortunately, had not accomplished my goal; however, like Jesus multiplied the bread and fish, he multiplied the number of children that did get into school
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The Maggot Infestation
My housemates have a running joke that I literally take on all the illnesses/bad things that happen for the team. Eilidh said I should start making a list of all the things that have happened; although that sounds amusing, I think I’d rather not make the list until I get home. But I will tell
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