Less than a month left :-) and :-(
Friends and Family,
Wow, I can’t believe I have less than a month left here in Swaziland. This has been the best year and most challenging year of my life, and I can’t stop thanking God for this opportunity. I appreciate all of your support financially and spiritually! All of your comments, emails, and facebook messages have been so encouraging! I am so thankful for my family in Christ back home and for the family I have in Southern Africa now!
So we finished all of our HIV testing yesterday, it was awesome how it all worked out. Out of the 8 classes we had about 60 boys that had permission to get tested from the ages of 12-18. It was very hectic at times and nerve racking praying with the boys as they were SO nervous waiting for their results. God brought peace and victory to many of them! All of the results were kept confidential and the testing was taken in a private room with the nurses we hired. I don’t know all of the results, but we could definitely tell when they were negative seeing them come out dancing, shouting, smiling, and hugging us! We could tell that maybe 2 were positive for sure by their tears coming out which killed us, they didn’t talk to us about it, they just kept their heads down and walked out. I couldn’t ask them their results or force them to talk. Having HIV is very shameful here and a lot of the boys before getting tested were saying “if I’m positive then I will just commit suicide, there’s no point” so I waited with them to get tested and spoke to them about the results and how to handle it either way. They were given pre- and post counseling by the nurses also. Please pray for the ones who were positive and that they find peace and purpose through Christ. So there was a lot of celebrating and some heavy hearts, but now, after knowing their status, they can handle themselves accordingly.
While some of the boys were getting tested, Davie, a teamate of mine, stayed in the classroom and got the boys to write out their testimonies, how this semester has influenced them, and how they want the rest of their lives to look like. We had about 150 letters and we are writing back to each one of them giving them support, answers to questions, and scriptures to hold on to. They were so happy to get their letters back! We still have about 60 letters left to finish and give back to them on Tuesday, our last day at Salesian.
The boys term ends April 24th and they have exams most of the week next week so we only have one more day with them all. Its sad and we wonder “did we do enough” and all that, but God is bringing myself, Davie, and Blair a peace of mind through it all. We presented truth, answered many big questions, and did all we could with the time God has given us. It is up to them now to change their lives and their country. Prayer support will be all we can give to them now. Our friend Daniel, a youth pastor from the Congo, will be continuing a bible study with the lunch classes we have on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I know He will continue to do amazing work with them!
So yeah, that’s about it with the boys school, our main focus of ministry. We still have a few things we will be doing. We will still visit patients at Hope House, go to some care points, and speak in some churches as we end our time here. Saying many goodbyes will be tough, but we know that God has them in His hands which is the most comfort we can have! We will be taking a week to have debrief as a team in South Africa. So much has happened this year and we are going to take some time as a team to ponder it all, praise God, and prepare to come home! I leave Swazi May 12th to go to Johannesburg, SA then start flying home May 13th!
I really look forward to seeing you all in May! I will try and post some pictures of Swaziland soon. The internet is pretty slow here and it takes a lot of time to post them, sorry. I hope this has encouraged you somehow. Love you all and may God bless!
Peace and Love,
Ryan
