Sunday, July 20, 2014

Expert in Love




Have you ever heard a song, listened to a lecture, or sat through a sermon and thought ‘Wow! This is for me.’? Well that’s what happened to me today at church. God gave the right words to my pastor today that just spoke to me.
Over the past month, I have been really trying to hold my tongue. I thought that when people found out I was leaving, that they would be sympathetic and sad to see me go. Guess what! I’m not as hot as I thought I was. The same people, who rejected me, still continue to do so, and will be doing it as I taxi out of Swaziland. I guess I shouldn’t have expected them to actually be sad, but a simple “thank you for all you’re hard work” would certainly have alleviated my anguished feelings I associate with them. Instead I am left with the impression that they never liked me, and when they weren’t talking about me behind my back (or in front of me in Siswati), they only acknowledged me when they wanted something.  To be perfectly honest, I HATE that. I sincerely HATE that I am left with that impression. My whole two years here, I tried to get this certain group of people to warm up to me, I wanted to work with them and not against them. And I am still for the life of me trying to figure out why they despise me, though I have an idea which I believe is really too petty for me to even type. The stress that I had while being here wasn’t caused by the lack of amenities I had been accustomed to in the states, it was from the group of people who on a daily basis stole my joy.
I admit, while they may have been the cause, I have only myself to blame for becoming distressed. I was letting the enemy claim defeat. I was ready to walk into my Head Teacher’s office on Wednesday and tell him that I quit and will finish my last month of service at my other school. But then, today I was encouraged by Paul. Paul of Tarsus, you know that guy who wrote half of the New Testament 2000 years ago. In church, we read Philippians 1, and I swear to you— my ears were burning!
In Philippians 1, Paul is chained up and under house arrest. He couldn’t even lie down without hearing the shackles move, but he still prayed with joy (v.4)! Then he goes on to say in v.6 that God is STILL doing a great work in us. Paul viewed his adversity with joy, and saw it as a way to promote the gospel. Me, I see it as stopping point and a time to be bitter and complain. If I truly am a Christian like I claim to be, I need to be thankful for what God has accomplished and be confident in God’s ability to bring His work to completion. I need to look at my adversity and rejoice that God has brought me to that circumstance, and rejoice that He will bring me through it! And when I think about v.6 and how it says He will continue a good work in us until the day of completion on the day of our Lord; I also let that resonate, that He will continue to help me do good work until my PC service is complete in 4 weeks.  God has given me the strength to do this for 2 years… and He is going to remain doing it all the way up to the last minute. So if God clearly says He is not giving up on us, than I shouldn’t give up on myself.
I thought that message right there was enough to sustain me for the rest of my time here, but then our pastor went on to read verses 9-11. The bullet point she used, was we need to “cultivate agape love towards one another”. In order to experience all that God has for us, we have to grow in our love for each other. We need to be experts in love! Confession time: I definitely wasn’t feeling the love for that group of people in my community who slandered my name. Who am I to complain?  Paul was in chains when he wrote in Philippians 4:4 “Rejoice in the Lord always!” If I am to be pure and blameless, I need to grow in love. 
Speaking of being pure and blameless (v.10-11), the literal translation means “not to stumble against”. *Again, at this point, my ears where burning. On Wednesday, when I had planned to tell my Head Teacher I quit, I also planned on giving those teachers a piece of my mind once and for all. Thank God the Lord stopped me with these words today, cause I was surely about to make a fool of myself. I genuinely want others to see Christ when they look at me. How would those teachers ever had known that, if my head is about to pop off? What I learned today is that our lives are either a smooth path that others will see God, or they are rough and distracting so that others will stumble to see the truth.  Looks like I have my work cut out for me this week.
Hebrews 12:14 “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.”


Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Month of Retreats

The month of June, I spent nearly every weekend on a retreat/workshop. The first workshop was with PC for our COS (Close of Service), the second was a spiritual retreat by an organization in America called the Family Foundation, and the third was a ladies retreat with the women of my church. I had a lot of fun bonding with the people on the trip and seeing some amazing sites of Swaziland and South Africa.

COS Conference at Maguga Dam. Situated in the North Western corner of Swaziland, the Maguga Dam is one of the most beautiful sites in the country, if not the best. It is covered with the highest mountains and lowest valleys. The dam is just below the town of Piggs Peak, which is the area known for their forest. I went there with all the PCVs who I came with in 2012. It was our final workshop where we learned about our next steps as we go back into the real world. We learned about the opportunities we have as a RPCV, the resources, and the community. We also learned about all the stuff that still needs to be done. I still need to do two more reports at least, have a couple exit interviews, poop in a cup, get tested for HIV, return my fake penis model, and get rid of my cats. Thankfully I have 2 more months to figure that all out.

This was by far the nicest facility where PC has ever held a workshop for us. It was our reward for finishing up our service. We ate a lot, and played a lot, and took more than our fare share of pictures. The last day we all sat in a circle and wrapped string around our wrist, where we were all attached. As we sat in silence, we realized that this was the last time we will all be Group 10 together. After our moment of solace, we cut the string and tied it on our wrist. Eventually the string will fall off, and when it does, we will have moved on.
 


Ancient Paths Weekend at Mabuda Farms. I spent the weekend at Mabuda Farms, which is a beautiful Bed and Breakfast owned by a wonderful couple that goes to my church. They hosted this workshop that is initially from the states. I had never heard of it before, but apparently they have a huge overseas base. The workshop was about the power of blessings within your family. I was the only single young adult there, and I also had no children, so for me the weekend was more about learning and soaking in the information, rather than a “breakthrough”. I really did enjoy it and plan on utilizing the information when I do decided to have a family. They also did a session where we learned about our names. In Hebrew tradition, there was a name ceremony. They applied that same concept and told us how special our names our and how they reflect us. My name was spot on. Taylor, which I always knew was “a tailor, or someone to mend clothes”. It also means, “to cut, or covenant”. I applied that to God having his covenant with me. The attributes are also that I am a creative person. I wish I could write more about it, but I don't have the exact information on me as a write this. Then my middle name, Noelle means “Christmas” which I already knew. It also means “bringer of good news”. I look at were I am and what I want to do with my life and it totally applies. The attributes associated with that name are cheerful and adventurous. Kudos mom for naming me!

Women of Strength Conference in Mdloti, South Africa. This was by far my favorite place, mainly because I was right on the beach! I spent the weekend with 24 wonderful women from my church. The theme of the weekend was Women of Strength. The biblical example used were, Deborah, Ruth, and Abigail. I loved this retreat, because it was based on everything I've been doing here- empowering women. Our pastor encouraged the women to be bold and strong, to have a can-do attitude, to be humble, and patient, to be inspired, and to always let God lead you. We spent time going to Durban, and there we went to Ushaka Sea World as well as the harbor. The weather didn't cooperate with us until the last day, but that was perfect. Our final day we had a church service and communion on the beach. Looks like I can cross that one off my bucket list!

Challenge for Africa

Not to long ago, I read a book called “Challenge for Africa”, you can read the review here. The book has been in my mind ever since, especially with all the news hitting Swaziland right now. With my time coming to a close (68 days left), I have to wonder, is Swaziland really better than it was when I first came 2 years ago? Sure, there has been a new airport built, unnecessary but nice. There has also been a lot of development in Ezulweni with the expansion of their new mall. Even Mbabane, the country's capital got a face lift. Does all that equate to progress?

In the eyes of the privileged, I am sure they think so. However, if the game changers of the country actually took a moment to drive their new S- class Mercedes out of the city and into the rural areas, they would see that the country they live in is far away from progress. Right now I am speaking of infrastructure, even though we all know advancement is more than a few buildings. If one was to go off the beaten path, away from Manzini, Ezulweni, and Mbabane, they would notice the horrible road conditions that connect the country together. If you go to the bottom region of the country, the majority is made up of gravel roads. If you go to the Lubombo region where I live, you'll be hard-pressed to find a patch in the road that isn't shamed with potholes. These conditions are embarrassing to the nation, considering that major business happens along these “highways”. In my neighborhood alone, we have the factory for Swaziland's most profitable export, sugar. We also are host to many tourist attractions, with several game reserves that are home to the Big 5. Speaking of tourists, if you want to get to Mozambique, you have to drive on these roads. That new airport I mentioned earlier that was just built, it's also here in Lubombo. It was built with the idea of bringing more business into the country. In fact we even had the Namibian president come to my village last month. With all of this traffic in my region, it's a pity that the major roads which carry people are distressing. This rant isn't about me being picky or bitter, it is based on facts and public opinion. This year alone, we have had over 30 people die in major traffic accidents. For a country this size, it's simply inexcusable.

Cars swerving to dodge potholes.

According to the Swaziland government website, they define a first world country is when “all citizens are able to pursue their life goals and live lives of value and dignity. This implies that all citizens have access to sufficient economic resources, education, health, quality infrastructure, and government services.” Swaziland is in the spotlight, for making the bold statement that they will become first world with in the next decade. The king has a vision to take Swaziland to first world status by 2022. *sigh* Where do I even begin with this? Seriously. Sometimes I just shake my head with the overwhelming tasks ahead. As we speak, my high school debate team is preparing for a symposium with the Swaziland Standard Association (SWASA). They have to answer the question, “how will standards assist Swaziland in reaching first world status?” It's been two months, and my students still haven't come up with the answer. Maybe they know deep down inside, but that thought process hasn't been taught to them- to be critical thinkers. They try to use the internet, but the answer to that question isn't there. Even if it was, searching through Google has proven to be a tedious task. Fact is, 99% of my students (and maybe this statistic relates to the other schools too), are computer illiterate by time they graduate. I could blame myself if I wanted to; it is after all one of the projects PC does in teaching life skills. However, if I were to carry that burden, then my work here would not be limited to two years- it's a lifetime of work. I can only hope the next PCV can help improve that statistic. Back to what I was saying about this symposium coming up. This whole discussion of improving SD to be first world, has been nothing but a discussion. A few weeks ago, business and lawmakers met with SWASA to have a forum on what the country can do. One of the ministers even stated that all businesses should work with SWASA. How can businesses work with SWASA when the country isn't even that concerned with the standards anyways. And if businesses registered with the standards, who would be the one to make sure that there is accountability? In my life skills class I teach, using South African text books, they even mention that a good government has accountability. The whole point of this post is to create a discussion. Talk about the repercussions, talk about the benefits, talk about the challenges and the changes that need to happen for this country to be first world. It won't happen unless the people do it. The whole point is to be less dependent on foreign aid and counsel. Let the country be responsible for itself. The only ones who can save Africa, is Africa. One of my favorite heroines, Kenyan born Wangari Maathai talks a lot on this.

This brings me to my last and final concern. A country with real motivation to be change will change. Cut the facade and be a country of action. Last week, Swaziland was revoked it's privileges to be apart of the African Growth OpportunityAct (AGOA) by the US. AGOA helps over 40 Sub-Saharan countries gain duty free access to the American market. In Swaziland, this affected the textile and agriculture industries that employed over 20,000 people. Now, thousands of employees have lost their jobs. Swaziland failed to meet the 5 AGOA benchmarks which included; registration and recognition of trade unions and employee federations, full passage of the amendment to the Suppression of Terrorism Act, freedom of assembly, speech, and organization, dissemination of implementation of the code of good practice on protest and industrial actions. Coming into the AGOA isn't mandatory, and America isn't bullying Swaziland to abide by its rules. AGOA is another means for which countries can take accountability into the advancement of their society. America's mission is to promote democracy. Underlining the three goals of PC, it still reeks with American democracy propaganda, but is that really a bad thing. We are not trying to change the government structure, in fact, I think a monarchy is just fine here. It is the idea of democracy and the idea of letting citizens voices being heard, and the protection of human rights, that we're all after. As I type this, two Swazi's are still sitting behind bars for exorcising their right to freedom of speech. Protesters and shut down and workers rights are being ignored. How is that a good thing? Taking a quote from Wangari, she says “ Democracy doesn't solely mean one person one vote. It also means, among other things, the protection of minority rights; an effective and truly representative parliament ; an independent judiciary; an informed and engaged citizenry; and independent fourth estate; the rights to assemble, practice one's religion freely, and advocate for one's own view peacefully without fear of reprisal or arbitrary arrest; and an empowered an active civil society that can operate without intimidation.”

As Swazi's sit on edge of this pivotal moment, one can only hope that this be a wake of call. There is no room for “Swazi-time”. If change is to happen, it has to happen'now now'.