This must be heaven!

Today was the most beautiful day. It is the kind of day that if I was in Round Rock I would be saying “THIS is why I moved to Texas!” But I can’t say I moved to Swaziland because of the weather. This beautiful country and weather on days like today is just a major perk. This is truly God’s country. The coming of autumn brings out the beauty even more. So far, this is my favourite time of the year. It is even more beautiful than spring and summer were.

This has been a very interesting day. It started with a meeting that didn’t start of well with the woman who is the Regional Education Office’s Secretary in charge of registering new schools. Rev. Nyameka and I were going to see what needed to be done, and our worst fears were realized. Nothing had been done. The first block of classrooms is about 50% completed and the site hasn’t been approved by the REO. They were not happy with us. But with a lot of prayer, apologies and grovelling they have agreed to come and view the site and see if they will accept it. If they don’t, the church will have a new building. We need the government’s support to pay the teacher’s salary, provide education materials for the children, desks and chairs when the school opens and stipends for the OVC’s. One of the pieces of information they look at before approving a site is the distance to other schools in the area. There is an existing primary government school and they have approved a site to build a new school. I needed to have the distance preferably before a meeting with Chief Lomngeletjane tomorrow so Mrs. Thembi Dlamini, the person who really pushed to have the is school started and I drove to each of the sites to get the mileage. (Would that be kilometerage?!?) We drove to one of the most remote places I have been to. There is a little temporary shelter at the site of the school which will be built. There were a half a dozen kids there when we finally arrived at the site who, of course, were absolutely precious. They thought it was so great that I was taking their pictures.

Now, this road, if you could call it that, was right out of a movie about Africa. I wasn’t real sure my car, now faithfully named Betsy (I know, not real imaginative, but it is American!), was going to make it down the hill to wherever they were leading me to. I must say I wondered if they really had any idea where we were going. Luckily Thembie stopped a young high school student on the way and he politely took us to the school site. As I said, getting there was a bit stressful especially when my need fuel light came on. I thought I prayed a lot on the way down, once that light came on and we started up hill I prayed even more! But Thembie and I just kept laughing about our adventure and the places she takes me! I know the boy thought we were nuts. I’m writing this so obviously I made it back okay. It was quite an adventure into God’s beautiful creation. Once again, it was a day you just can’t believe unless you where there. I didn't get all the pictures I wanted to. I must not have pressed the button hard enough, but enjoy the pictures. I know they won’t do it justice. Just imagine. Thembie, my partner in adventure is pictured with the children that were at the school.

God bless this beautiful country with its beautiful children. Pray for God to use me to enhance its beauty and the health and welfare of the children according to his will, not mine.