to the next ones

Our last day of children’s ministry Swazi was Friday and in processing all of the emotions that came with that, I ended up writing a letter to the future teams that get the gift of the town and carepoint of Mahangeni———

To the next team who gets the privilege of loving Mahangeni, 

Congrats! You have without a doubt the best carepoint in all of Swaziland! You’ll find kids there that absorb every ounce of love you give them. It’s a hidden gem that was the biggest blessing during my time here. My prayer over you is that you find an abundance of joy in this gift He’s given you! 

If they haven’t told you by now, to get to Mahangeni requires a hour long BEAUTIFUL walk. For my team, this was one of our absolute favorite parts of it all. You cross flat sugarcane farms and see the mountains from all sorts of angles. It takes your breath away every time. Find all the short cuts (which really even short cuts but it’s fun to think they are) and truly get to know your surroundings. You’ll find some pretty cool things to climb. The walk is where my team probably grew the most. It was the birthplace of true friendships. Have hard conversation. Silly conversations. Turn it into a prayer walk. Blast music and have a dance party on the move. Steward this time intentionally- you’ll be able to see some amazing fruit come from it. Take advantage of all the time you get to walk back too. It’s a perfect space to process ministry that day with the Lord. Love that walk well. You’ll come to miss it one day. 

The people at Mahangeni are treasures waiting to be found. Get to know the families of the kids you love and spend all day with. Go into their homes and talk about how their day is going. They are the most welcoming community you will ever meet. They will soon like your own family and before you know it, you’ll have 10 new moms and 20 new grandmas. Speaking of grandmas, meet and love Joana- or call her Ouma (which means grandma in Afrikaans), she’ll love that. Her house is by the carepoint and she is the beating heart of Mahangeni. Listen to her story and pray with her. She will adopt you as her granddaughter and love you like her own. Let her pour wisdom out to you and absorb it like a sponge. See the joy she radiates and let it spill into you and your team. It’s a gift from the Father. Remind her she’s beautiful- she forgets sometimes. Love her well. You’ll come to miss her one day. 

The kids there are incredibly special. Incredibly unique and cannot even be out into words. They will become your best friends and pursue you everyday. You’ll get to know their hearts, passions, families, hardships; just everything about them. Pray over them. Love them with everything you have. Listen to them. Pump water for them. Help them with homework. Dance with them. Take pictures of them and show them how beautiful the Father has made them. Hold their hands. Hug them. Show Jesus to them in every way you can. Share the Gospel with them. Leave them with Jesus’s name and not your own. Let them know the Father in Heaven has a plan for them bigger than their circumstances. Remember you can’t save them- only Jesus can. Love the kids well. You’ll come to miss them all one day. 

Ministry will get hard. It will get monotonous. The Enemy will use this as a foothold to pour lies about the seeds you’re planting, but don’t let him. Let your team know when you’re feeling this way. Rally around each other and pray- pray for soften hearts and strength. Choose into ministry and know it’s ordained by the Lord. Don’t feel guilty for feeling this way but don’t sit it in. Put on the full armor of God and remember who your True Enemy is. Pray as a team over ministry, fast if you feel called. You’re planting seeds for the Righteous King- do it all for His glory. Be filled up in the Lord’s strength on the hard days. He’ll sustain You and remind you why you’re here. You were given this carepoint for a reason. Seek out why. Love ministry well. You’ll miss it one day.  

Seek the community out well. Go swimming in the river. Go even on your off days and play pool in the shop and talk about Jesus into the homes that welcome you in. Buy pinpops for all the kids. Play soccer with them on Saturdays. Let the girls braid your hair everyday. Joke with Bongiwe. Hold sleepy babies all day long. Visit the homesteads one by one. Walk the kids home after school. Celebrate them for no reason. Let this place feel heart and seen. They deserve it. Love this place well. You’ll miss every nook and cranny of it one day. 

From a girl who adores Mahangeni