The news…from the kingdom

by Global Ministries | published on Oct 10, 2014

Dear Friends & Family,

Grace and peace from the Kingdom of Swaziland. That’s right, a real kingdom with a king, a royal this and that, and sense of history and culture that is beyond Western comprehension. In fact, Swaziland is the last remaining “true monarchy” on the earth. Two of the most familiar questions that people regularly ask us in e-mails are: 1) Have we ever met the king and 2) what is the wildlife like in Swaziland? And to answer those questions, let us tell you about our experiences in both arenas.

Dear Friends & Family,

{mosimage}First, have we ever met the king? The long answer is, “one day as we were driving around the Mbabane area(our neighborhood) examining various guest houses, we literally followed signs leading us to the Prestige Guest House. After driving up a hill and down the other side, we arrived at the front gate. Under normal conditions, all one has to do is toot their horn and the gate is opened upon which you drive in. But in this case we were surprisingly greeted by a uniformed Royal Swaziland Police Officer. At that point Wayne rolled down the car window and simply said “we want to enter the guesthouse because we have friends visiting next year so we are in the process of examining many places.” At that point, the officer responded, “I’m sorry, but his Royal Highness is not here right now.” Needless to say, we never knew that “this” guesthouse belonged to the King. But leave it to us, right? The short answer is, we have never met the King or been in his presence.

{mosimage}Second, what is the wildlife like? Again the long answer… “One morning, while driving to church, we noticed that we had an extra passenger riding on the hood of the car. It was a lizard. We didn’t want to injure it, so Wayne pulled over so that it could be gently lifted off the hood. Well, as soon as he reached for the lizard, it ran down into the engine compartment. With a sigh and an “oh well”, Wayne proceeded to get back into the car, only to notice that while he was out of the car a grasshopper the size of a human fist had clung to his clothing. In an instant, Ingrid opened her door, leaped out of the car and onto the sidewalk. Simultaneously, Wayne grabbed the grasshopper through it out of the window and at the blink of an eye, a passing car sent the grasshopper on to glory. The short story is that we have seen some animals at a game sanctuary, but we are still looking forward to seeing the “Big Five” of Africa: elephants, lions, water buffalo, rhino, and cheetah. Now on to the real news…
For four months we have been working with the Kukhany’okusha Zion Church. Khany’okusha means “new light” in English. Our previous articles have described the church in rather lengthy detail, so in this article we will share short stories about our work, along with a few comments.

Our first project with the church was in starting and maintaining the Garden of Hope with three fine young men of the church. Ingrid writes, “Each day as we walk into the Garden of Hope to plant living seeds of hope, we look forward to the day when the fruits of our labors will become nourishing food for those in need.” The garden is a special place because it will serve so many needs. In Swaziland people’s needs are layered and intertwined. For example, when a garden begins to produce a yield, three needs are met: employment, sustenance, and income with a portion of the vegetables. Before we arrived God had already blessed Kukhany’okusha with everything that is needed to get a garden off the ground. Fertile land, seeds, sunshine, water and a variety of hand tools. Yet, in the end without the hearts, hands, and minds of volunteers who have sowed the field, the task would have been difficult. Abundant life for many is always made possible when the people of God allow God to use them just as they are in order to do great things in God’s name.

The second area of work that we have devoted a lot of our time to is in the HIV/AIDS arena. In Swaziland, HIV/AIDS is not a problem, it is the problem. To date, some 42.6% of the adult population has contracted the HIV virus and 10% of the population has full blown AIDS. There is so much work to be done around this issue it is difficult to know where to begin. So let us just jump in and start.

Since our first responsibility is to Kukhany’okusha, we have been involved in several discussions, worship services, and projects that eventually will assist people who are directly and indirectly suffering from HIV/AIDS. We have had meetings with leaders of the World Health Organization, the World Food Program, and the Swaziland Council of Churches. There are three very distinct types of work being done around the pandemic:

1. the area of prevention and education
2. the area of testing and counseling
3. the area of care and comfort

Working in this arena is a daunting task in Swaziland, but a task that must be looked at straight in the eye and dealt with truthfully and honestly. Many changes have occurred here because of the pandemic, but the toughest issue, culture, has yet to be tackled in any meaningful way. Yet, we must press on to see what the end shall be by promoting and producing projects that matter in people’s lives.

One segment of the population that is reducing their percentages of positive HIV is the teenagers. That is why Ingrid and I have been working, as Global Ministries missionaries, with an ecumenical group called The Church Forum with the hope that we might be on a team to produce a youth rally in a region called Seteki. Seteki is one of the most affected areas, yet there are still glimmers of hope. Our second project initiative there is to work on refurbishing a community center where education, counseling, recreation, and skill development can take place in very meaningful ways. While it is easy to talk percentages, there is nothing more motivating than connecting a face, a life, a heart, a soul with the pandemic. Ingrid shares her story of her interaction with a woman who is an HIV counselor and who is positive:

“Swaziland is certainly a very beautiful place with many wonderful people. It is very scenic and the beauty of the mountains, still captivate us. On May 16, Rev. Mkhonta, who is the pastor of the Kukhany ‘okusha Zion Church in Manzini, Mrs. Mkhonta, Wayne and I were invited to a program called “Turning Remembrances into Action” in a rural area called Lavumisa. The further we drove and the closer we got to Lavumisa, the drier the land appeared. Unfortunately, Lavumisa has had to deal with drought and the lack of a regular water supply for the past three years.

While driving to Lavumisa we had to look out for much more than people crossing the streets. We had to look out for cows, goats, dogs and chickens, it was a busy road. Before we knew it, two and a half hours went by and we finally arrived. It was now around noon, which was the time we were informed that the program was suppose to begin, yet, upon our arrival, we were then told that the program would start at three.
At that center of the complex there was a soup kitchen that filled the bowls of many orphans and adults. As we interacted with the wonderful children they were extremely excited to have their pictures taken and we were happy to see smiles on their faces. Those moments are simply unforgettable.

At the back of the building was a little blue room, in which they had information on HIV/AIDS and a wonderful counselor name Gugu. Gugu and I started talking and it was as if we knew each other for many years. It is simply amazing what we can experience in an “ordinary” day.

We sat together in the little blue room and Gugu shared the many stories of so many confused and frustrated individuals whose life journey’s were immediately changed once they got their results after taking an HIV test, discovering that they were positive.

She told me that polygamy is very normal here and that men do not want to use protection, neither do they want the women to use any kind of protection for themselves. I know that it was very hard for me to understand, but as Gugu explained to me that this is just part of the culture, the stories she shared will forever remain in my memory. I took her telephone number and told her that I would stay in touch and so I have.

I have not stopped thinking about Gugu and I do not think I ever will, because the best of her touched me. You see, Gugu has been counseling those in pain as she exists in the midst of her own. Just two years ago, Gugu tested positive for HIV and she has a 5-year-old daughter that she said is her strength for waking up each morning and facing a new day. She also said that the father of her daughter is nowhere to be found.

It is one thing to read about these stories. However, it becomes a life changing experience to be a part of the wider community and see how this pandemic is affecting so many families. We can only hope that the purpose for our journey will ultimately be achieved in the days to come. What motivates us is the three attributes that Wayne and I have always shared from the beginning of our relationship. Those are our love for God, our love of life, and our love for humanity. I have to believe that the human race will put a stop to this pandemic before this pandemic puts a stop on the human race. HIV/AIDS can be prevented.”

Finally, we want you to know that we have had our first visitors to the Kingdom. They were four students from Eureka College (A Disciples college), and one long term Disciples volunteer who is based with our colleagues in South Africa. During their brief visit to Swaziland, we were able to host them and show them where they could find the sights and sounds that tourist want to see. One morning, however, they assisted the garden team in the continuous process of cleaning and weeding the Garden of Hope. Prayerfully, once you see their pictures, it will inspire you to also seek the Kingdom…of Swaziland.

Please continue to pray for us and we will do the same for you. If you need any information about our projects and programs, please don’t hesitate to let us know.

Sincerely,

Rev. Wayne and Ingrid

Wayne & Ingrid Wilson are missionaries serving in Swaziland and Mozambique. Wayne serves with the Kukhany’ Okusha Zion Church in Swaziland as development project officer of the Mozambique Synod of the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa. Ingrid serves as the Coordinator of the women’s work and will serve part-time as women’s coordinator of the Mozambique Synod of the United Congregational Church of Southern Africa.