The Really Difficult Post

"But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish." Psalm 9:18

This is the post I've struggled with writing. It's so somber and filled with lots of ugly truth. Please still wade through it, and digest the magnitude of the hurts and issues needing the hope of Christ. That hope mentioned above is what I pray we can share with those who need to hear it in Swaziland - hope that doesn't ever die, when there is little reason to hope, in the world they live in daily.  Death is everywhere. It would be easy to be hopeless.

In Swaziland, children are orphaned all the time by the death of parents or abandoned because of multiple reasons. Sometimes, because of the extreme poverty, there is no money or food and they are abandoned because the parents cannot provide for them and hope to give them a chance somewhere else.

Sometimes the reason for being orphaned is polygamy. There are usually multiple wives in a family with one husband, and if one wife dies, the remaining women may not choose to raise her children. There may be resentment, lack of resources, jealousy and competition, or just sheer exhaustion of parenting many children that are contributing factors.

When children are abandoned in Swaziland, they live outdoors, sleeping where they can. There is no DHR or CPS. No foster parents or group homes, no shelters or orphanages for which these children may seek safety.

Trafficking is a popular topic these days, and a very disturbing one, as we realize the massive numbers of people being used, sold, and traded around the world. Unfortunately, this is an issue in Swaziland too. Women are used and treated as property. Young girls are regularly raped. Willingly, they even choose this themselves sometimes, in order to receive food or water for themselves or their family. Mothers even offer daughters as young as 9 or 10 to men, in exchange for use of a small portion of land for them to garden on, or to barter for a ride into town. When I heard this for the first time, and pictured my own almost-10 year old daughter treated as a prostitute, I seriously felt sickened. How can this go on, and be permissable by a family, a society? It keeps me up at night, and I'm not exaggerating.

Tradition is to blame in part for these many struggles, because the history of the Swazi people have allowed polygamy and misogyny for generations. HIV is now so commonplace because of the lack of education and understanding for years, and also, because it is so difficult to change an entire people's mentality.

The person in Swaziland who could provide a solution to the situation with many thousands of children who have no parents does not see the need for giving these children homes. The statement on this subject has been, "Swaziland has no orphans." Pride and ignorance both may be to blame here, because admitting the severity of the crisis would result in re-evaluating the entire lifestyle of the Swazi people. There is a normal pride in one's heritage, even if it is misled and has had disastrous consequences. Also, there are many children who are taken in by a grandmother-type figure, but there is no adoption formally allowed, and no true accountability to ensure that children all find a "go-go" who will look after them until they are independent.

These are reasons that this verse means so much to me. There IS hope. God loves these precious children, these hurting women, these go-gos who sacrifice greatly, and the men who strive to live honorable lives, as well as those who take advantage of others. They are being reached slowly but surely with the Word that could change everything. Passing out birth control doesn't change the culture or solve the problems. It may stop more orphans from being born, but it is not the answer to the greater need, and not what we believe is the response of the Church.

This verse reminds me, we cannot forget the needy. We could have been born in Swaziland ourselves. I could have never had the privileged life I lead, and have the opportunity to hear the truth of the Bible as a young girl. Therefore, we are grateful we can share what we do know with those who haven't had the same blessings. We can love and visit those hurting, and be a light in a dark, dark place.

Preaching isn't the first answer. They need to see their worth, and their value, in God's eyes, through our actions. We are convinced that all the awesome Bible teaching in the world, and education on the results of polygamy and HIV on a people group, are not the keys to changing anything in Swaziland. That's why we passionately believe that what the Clyburns and McAdams, AIM and Children's Hope Chest are doing is so very important. They are building relationships with children and adults, meeting their physical needs, and caring for them as lovingly as if they were their own family. That action - not just talk - is softening hearts, and true compassion and godly love is what leads to opening hearts to the Gospel. Please pray for our friends and for us as we seek to be another instrument that God can use to encourage and bring hope to Swaziland.

"But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish." Psalm 9:18