Lions and Tigers and Bears

Yesterday I went out to the Eastern side of the country with Daran and his wife Theresa to see what they were doing out there. It was a very interesting and informative trip, so I'll try to run you through the highlights.

We first stopped to meet a woman who works closely with Daran and Theresa. She came with us and brought along two girls who are on a short-term (1 month) mission here as part of a mission trip through 11 countries in 11 months. From there, we went to the house of an older couple who retired to the Swazi bush in order to help as much as they could. They do a lot of visits to the communities out there, where they work with kids and try to minister as much as possible.

They came with us into one of the main villages they work in. Their main purpose is to test and get treatment for the children and caretakers in the communities. One of the challenges they see are organizations that come in and test without figuring out how the people will get the necessary treatment. But Daran was quick to point out that if they don't do something about the economic situation of these people, the cycle will just continue.

It's currently the Murula season, so we saw a number of women busy pitting the Murula fruit, which will be brewed quickly and turned into the favorite alcoholic beverage here. Sadly, there aren't many other economic options for these people. They're hemmed in by sugar cane fields and maize fields, so there's no real room for agriculture or raising poultry. The missionaries have gotten some of the women sewing machines and connected them with a business that will pay them for well-made items that it will then sell in the US. Hopefully that will improve their quality of life somewhat, but I'm not sure if their situation will develop further in the next 10 or 20 years.

So while I wasn't inspired with hope and optimism, I am glad I had the experience and got to see how they're living. We'll see what God does in the next couple weeks.

Also, while I saw neither lions, nor tigers, nor bears, I did see antelope and a monitor lizard. I also saw the eyes and nostrils of a submerged crocodile, and saw a hippo, elephants, and apes far off in the distance.