In Swaziland Grandmothers
are known as Gogo’s. These women are amazing; a lot of my ministry here has
been revolved around the Gogo’s. I have been able to get to know some of them
on a personal level and they continue to astonish me with their strength. Most
of these women have gone through unimaginable things throughout their lives,
but they still push forward. They are not the type to just be getting by
though, they live their lives with joy; joy that only comes from the Lord.
These Gogo’s cook voluntarily
at care points, cook for their families, clean, sew, make purses, walk miles a day
just to do these things, go to Bible studies and still never miss a Sunday at
church. The Gogo’s of Swaziland
are what continue to hold it together. I have been able to help them cook at
the care points and it was not an easy task. There is no sort of electricity,
so first you must go into the woods and fetch firewood. After you get the firewood
you must fetch water from the water pump. Then start the fire and wait for the
water to boil. Stirring the food alone is a work out, because there is no much
in the pot at one time, but the Gogo’s continue to do it as if it is nothing.
Another area I
have seen them at work is through making purses. An awesome missionary here
named Julie has started a company known as Timbala Crafts. Through this she has
given the Gogo’s a chance to make a steady income. All the work at the care
points is voluntary and before Julie started this the Gogo’s were living off nothing.
The way the company works is Julie supplies the fabric and materials and the
Gogo’s make the purses. Julie then sales the purses for the Gogo’s, they are Gorgeous.
Every Monday and Thursday these Gogo’s come to a certain care point that could be
up to a three hour walk for them to get to. They arrive at the care point and
then begin cutting the fabric. This is also the time for them to turn in the
purses that they have made that week. This process takes a few hours and after
that there is a Bible Study. Normally Julie leads the Bible study, but last
week she asked me and another girl from the team if we would like to lead it. So,
Thursday we were able to, it was great to pour into ladies lives who have
poured into mine so much through their actions alone. We spoke on the
importance of renewing your mind daily and starting fresh with God.
These are just a
few tasks that the Gogo’s do on a regular basis. They are awesome women who
rely on their strength from God. They have taught me so much. God continues to
show up faithfully in Swaziland
and reveal Himself in awesome ways. So far this trip I have been blessed beyond
belief. Continue to pray for strength and joy within our team. We have five
weeks gone with four more to go. The thought of that is an emotional struggle
for me; part of me will always be here. Swaziland has stolen a piece of my
heart.
