Another day in Swaziland brought changes and flexibility. Douglas had to shift our schedule to work around Vuvulane due to flat tires and the need for a van replacement instead of a simple tire replacement. All we can say is “Welcome to Swaziland”. God’s plan is perfect! We were able to visit some homesteads from Vuvulane Baptist Church. The team purchased rice, beans, sugar, cooking oil, soup mix, soap, candles, Vaseline and a new bucket to put most of the items inside. We made our own Baptist Global Relief bucket. The Swazi people were so appreciative of our sharing the gospel and our visit. One GoGo we visited sang “He Touched Me” and we were in tears as we worshiped with her. We were so blessed by our visits. As always, it was great to minister alongside of Douglas and his family. Douglas and all of his family except one son were in an accident last week and totaled his truck. The family is fine, but this accident has crippled his ministry. Douglas transports church members from various locations which is kilometers in many different directions on rough roads. We were able to assist him temporarily on typical ministry needs. For example, we collected the generator, gas for the generator, and delivered it to church. He needs prayers and support to get a vehicle for his ministry.
The team went in three directions to collect church members and friends for revival services later in the afternoon. Revival was to start at 6:00 pm, but arrivals continued coming for an hour due to many locations and vehicles involved. Starting the generator was a miracle. The key switch was broken, the carburetor was clogged, and the battery was dead. After hot wiring the generator, along with putting fuel in carburetor, Matthew was able to pull crank it. Did I mention the rope was half out so it was a short pull? It was a God thing for the generator to crank. Finally, we were able to start and we had a beautiful worship service. Sarah, Lisa, and Matthew shared their testimonies and Jimmy preached. The worship was sweet and quite lively. A side note: while Jimmy was preaching, Greg and a Swazi friend left the church and met the Avis man at the top of the tar road for our replacement van. Again, a tire was not available, so we got another van. The flat tire was reported on Tuesday. Jimmy called the company so many times, the Swaziland agency would not answer his calls. Avis would never find Vuvulane Baptist Church tucked in the sugar cane fields without help. We found great comfort in getting a van with a spare tire. Praise! Now, Jimmy’s van does not have a spare tire from yesterday’s blowout. The process started all over!
Once again, we arrived over an hour late after revival service to Managa Club for our 10:00 pm dinner. Hillary has been so gracious and patient with us. Her staff cooked a delicious Swazi braai for us and waited to serve it. We have enjoyed the food, wildlife, and accommodations at the Managa Club. As Wayne Meyers always says, “Rest Fast” and we know a few hours of sleep will have to be enough before starting a new day of ministry. God is good!
