You know you’re having a Swazi day when…

1. You turn on the shower and nothing comes out. Then you try other faucets and it barely trickles out.
2. The young woman who comes once a week to do laundry comes earlier than usual with her mother. She takes off her coat and you see a big bulge under her blouse. When you ask her what it is she says she is having a baby this month. Her mother came with so she would know where things are so she can take over for a couple of weeks when she has the baby.
1. What does one say? I finally asked if she had been to the clinic during her pregnancy and if she had been tested for HIV. (She has.) Then I told her I’d pray for her and her baby.
3. You leave to run a few well planned errands before going to Bible Study. Lift up the garage door and it falls almost on your head.
4. You discover that the government has put big speed bumps on the only divided highway in the country and of course they are on the side of the highway that is a steep uphill grade.
5. Then you come back down the hill and are stuck in the traffic as the government workers are starting to put them on the downhill side of the highway. And there’s a woman (How do you know? She has a skirt over her bright orange workers uniform) standing by the side of the road faithfully waving her flag to slow down traffic as the traffic is at a standstill.
6. You go to the bank to pick up checks for an account opened two months ago only to discover that the checks were never ordered.
7. You stop at Kentucky Fried Chicken to get a vanilla soft-serve ice-cream cone that costs the equivalent of about 30 cents for lunch (sometimes a person needs a little comfort food) and a new enterprising individual is now charging people to park in the parking lot. It cost more to park than to buy the ice cream cone.

But luckily, this Swazi day included support and prayers from fellow missionaries in Swaziland and the most touching moment when two of the Swazi ladies that come with me to the schools, take clothes and food to those in need and are sewing their fingers off making school uniforms for needy children ask if we could pray at the close of the day and then thank God that he brought me to Swaziland and ask him to care and protect me and my family back home. Yes, this was a pretty typical day in Swaziland. It was one of many contrasts, surprises and little blessings waiting to be enjoyed.